ASE Preliminary Application Instructions and Requirements

The Preliminary Application period is now closed.

The Program

ASE places high school students with science and engineering professionals for eight week, full-time summer apprenticeships.  Each student “apprentice” helps his/her “mentor” with a project of the mentor’s choosing, gains pre-professional experience, and experiences a career first hand.  Some apprentices work on a project they can bring to closure by summer's end, some contribute eight weeks of work to a larger ongoing project, and some are given smaller projects and tasks that represent the range of work of many applied scientists and engineers. 

Benefits to Students

• Hands-on experience in a science or engineering profession
• Experience enhances college and scholarship applications
• High school credit, depending on school policy, may be available
• Some positions offer $1,000 stipends. Whether or not an apprentice receives a stipend will depend on the position, and/or the yearly family income of the student.
  

1. High school graduation year of 2009, 2010, or 2011.
2. Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00
3. Health insurance for the duration of the apprenticeship (Some health insurance companies offer short-term coverage for minors).
4. Completion of all required forms before the beginning of the apprenticeship.
5. Completion of eight week apprenticeship during the summer ( 296 hours). 
6. Must attend two conferences: the Midsummer Conference (July 11-12, 2008) and the Symposium (August 16, 2008--tentative).
7. Maintenance of a lab notebook or journal, depending on mentor requirements.
8. Completion of thank you letters at the end of the summer.
9. Not a former ASE apprentice.  ASE is a one-time opportunity. “Alumni” are not eligible for a second apprenticeship.
10. ASE is the first priority for each apprentice during the summer

Required Completion of 8 Weeks during the summer—Details (Item #5 in list above)

ASE apprentices are expected to complete the equivalent of 8 weeks, full-time, in their apprenticeships.  The 8 weeks must be completed by August 29th.  All apprenticeships occur during regular business hours, Monday – Friday.  The exact schedule is worked out between the student and the mentor, but students are asked to make ASE their first priority during the summer. 

Required Conferences—Details (Item #6 in list above)

• The Midsummer Conference will be held on July 11-12, 2008 at Oregon State University, a Friday and Saturday.  This conference is an overnight conference.  Students attend career talks and workshops conducted by professionals, meet other students with similar interests from around the state, and attend a workshop on creating a professional presentation.  Students spend the night in the dorms at the host institution. 
• The second conference is the ASE Symposium.  It will be held August 16, 2008 in Portland at the University of Portland.  Apprentices will present their summer experience through a poster session and a 15-minute oral presentation to other apprentices, mentors, parents, and teachers. 

Transportation to the conferences will be provided for students who live more than 100 miles away from each location.

Application Process

Students apply for ASE by completing a two-part application process: 

• Preliminary Application – Due January 31, 2008.  This application is online, www.saturdayacademy.org/ase , or follow the link at the end of this page.
• Final Application  – Due March 11, 2008.  Every student who completes the Preliminary Application is eligible to submit a Final Application.  ASE will email all preliminary applicants on February 4th, 2008 with instructions about completing the Final Application.  For the Final Application, each applicant may view the Position Description (PD) Book, which lists all the positions available through ASE for summer 2008.

    For the Final Application you will be asked to:

1. Apply for up to three positions by writing a one-page essay for each one,
2. Ask two adults (excluding relatives) to complete the Adult Recommendation forms,
3. Obtain a sealed official transcript (including this fall semester).*
4. *For home school students, a transcript detailing the courses you’ve taken and the grades you’ve received is required.  Please call ASE, 503-725-2334, with any questions about this. 
5. Submit a Commuter, and/or Residential Permission form if you’ll be traveling long distances or staying in a different town during the summer,
6. Include a $15 application fee.  If family finances make this a hardship, ASE can waive the fee.

• Items 1-6 are not due until March 11.  Specific instructions about this part of the application will be available on our web site on February 4, 2008.
• In mid-March, student applications are given to mentors who then choose the students they would like to work with for the summer. 
• By the beginning of May, ASE notifies students who have and have not been selected.

Information Sessions & Interview Skills Workshops

• ASE will offer informational sessions for students and parents in various locations in Oregon and SW Washington starting in November.  Please check the ASE web site for dates, times and locations.  These are completed for the 2008 ASE Program.
  
• Free Interview Skills Workshops will be available to applicants starting in February (dates and locations will be listed on the ASE web site February 4, 2008).
  

ASE Program Check-Off List and Time Line

• January 31, 2008: Preliminary application due!
• February 4, dates and locations for Interview Skills Workshops posted on ASE web site.
• February 4, Final Application Materials available on the web, www.saturdayacademy.org/ase,
• February 6 – March 12, Interview Skills Workshops; locations to be announced in Final Application materials.
• March 11, 2008: Final Application due!
• March 17 – April 17, mentors conduct interviews (not all mentors interview).
• April 18 – May 5, ASE notifies students of acceptance by phone.
• May 5, all applicants who submitted Final Application materials contacted confirming an apprenticeship or expressing regrets.
• May 13 – 29, orientations for apprentices/parents and mentors.
• End of June, most apprenticeships begin.
• July 11 - 12, Midsummer Conference– Required Event.
• August 16 (tentative), Symposium– Required Event.
• August 29, apprenticeships must be completed.