SAEP students spend summer pursuing academic success

Summer at UC Irvine is rather calm compared to the hustle and bustle of the school year; the halls are quieter, the plazas nearly empty. A quick walk by room 1208 in Social Sciences Plaza B, however, yields a much different scene. Here, 22 students are enrolled in the School of Social Sciences’ Summer Academic Enrichment Program. For the past five weeks, these juniors and seniors – most of them first-generation university students – have voluntarily subjected themselves to SAEP’s rigorous curriculum. Social sciences faculty show them general methods for conducting research, performing statistical analysis and communicating findings – essential knowledge for any student interested in pursuing an advanced degree, says Caesar Sereseres, SAEP co-director and social sciences’ associate dean of undergraduate studies.