Pre-College Program in the
Liberal & Studio Arts

July 5 - August 7, 2009

The Program

The Pre-College Program in the Liberal and Studio Arts at Skidmore is a unique summer college experience for high school students interested in exploring the liberal and studio arts -- and in preparing for their future careers as college students. Designed for highly motivated and talented high school students, the program offers them the opportunity to engage in college-level work in areas of their interest and to benefit from Skidmore’s strengths in the liberal and studio arts.

The courses open to high school students are foundation level courses offered as part of Skidmore’s summer session for college students. Classes are small and individualized, the studios are spacious and well-equipped, and the library and other areas across campus provide welcoming space for group work and quiet study. The pace of summer study is quick; the studio work, the reading, writing and thinking is heavy; and the turn-around time on assignments short, but students find that the enthusiasm of the instructors and the invigoration of the classes keep them motivated and engaged.

The studio arts are particularly vibrant at Skidmore in the summer: the Summer Studio Art Program offers special workshops, hosts visiting artists, gallery talks and more, creating a vibrant community in the Art Building for artists working in a wide variety of media and at all levels, from novices to professionals.

Pre-college students come from across the country and the world, from large cities and small towns, from public and private schools, from different backgrounds and with a wide range of interests and aspirations. Together, they join in college life and learning – in the studios the classrooms and the residence halls – and in the vibrant environment of Skidmore’s summer campus. The nightly events on campus – concerts, films, lectures, art exhibits, and more – the summer life of Saratoga Springs and the activities for program students, provide an intense and varied experience, proving that summer at Skidmore is much more than just summer school.

The program (both residential and day) is open to qualified high school students currently in their sophomore, junior, or senior year.

Current high school freshman may apply only as day students. 

Those students - current high school freshman particularly but all others as well - who wish to explore and develop their studio art skills without the pressure of a grade may enroll in non-credit studio art workshops, where the demands are the same as in a credit course but grades are not assessed. All other courses carry full Skidmore College credit, generally transferable to any other college or university. Both the credit courses and the non-credit workshops may often be used by students to advance their standing in their high school.