BSS program participation is based on the rising grade level for the 2019-2020 school year. Current 7th graders will participate in the 8th grade program, 8th graders will participate in the 9th grade program and 9th graders will participate in the 10th grade program.

No, at this time there is not a session for rising 11th graders.

Parent meetings will be held at select schools prior to the application due date in March. Contact your school’s gifted coordinator, administrator, or counselor to learn if a parent meeting can/will be offered. You may also contact BSS to learn about parent meetings held at other schools.

Applicants should ask a teacher or a counselor to complete the recommendation. The recommender should be a person who can evaluate the applicant’s academic performance and potential for success at BSS.
Recommenders may access the recommendation form here. It is the participant’s responsibility to ask their recommender ahead of time, provide the link for accessing the form, and follow up with them to verify completion of the form by the application deadline.

Participants will be asked to rank all of the offered electives based on interest in the subject matter. We will do our best to place participants in one of their top three choices. BSS cannot guarantee that all participants will be placed in the elective of their choosing, but will strive to ensure that all students benefit from their assigned elective. 

Please be aware that elective choices for the 10th grade programs are specific to campus location.

Participants are required to participate for the entire duration in order to gain the full experience of the program. Students who are not available for any portion of the program should consider applying next year.

There is no weekend programming for the 1-week 8th and 9th grade programs outside of the initial check-in day.
The 10th grade program does not have scheduled programming over the weekend. Participants are required to travel home for the weekends. Accommodations can be made for a participant to stay over the weekend on a case-by-case basis for participants from outside Maricopa County only.

Parents will be allowed to call their children at the hall's front desk or during free time on their cell phones. However, participants must discern when they can and cannot receive calls on their cell phones. Cell phones being used at inappropriate times will be confiscated.

There are single gender floors and/or sections in the residence halls. Students are not permitted to visit the floors and/or sections where they do not reside. Staff will reside on the sides with participants of the same gender.
Students and parents are able to make accommodation requests. Barrett Summer Scholars will work with individual student to ensure their housing accommodations support their needs.
Students requesting a Gender Inclusive Housing option must contact the Barrett Summer Scholars administrative office via email at bss@asu.edu to speak with one of our staff about this request. The option for Gender Inclusive Housing is available at all Barrett Summer Scholars programs.

Roommate assignments are made by Barrett Summer Scholars staff prior to the program start dates. All accommodation requests are taken into account during the roommate assignment process. Participants are encouraged to take the opportunity to befriend their new roommate; special requests for roommate assignments will not be accommodated.

Staff will be with the participants at all times during the program. They will walk the participants to their next activity/location and accompany them during free time. Participants will not be allowed to be out of the sight of the staff/group or be alone with a staff member.

Parents will be asked to list special diet requests. The program will work with the university dining to accommodate the participant's dietary needs as best as possible. However, packing snacks that meet the student’s dietary needs is recommended.

When acceptance notifications go out, participants and parents will receive information regarding Program Orientation. Orientation is not mandatory, but is highly recommended as it will allow participants and parents to learn additional details about the program and become familiar with the campus; a visit to the residence hall and other key buildings where participants will spend their time will be part of orientation.

Participants will be notified of their admission status, program fee and scholarship award (if applicable) by mid-April. At this time, participants will be notified to pay their program fee balance by early-May. 

Yes! All BSS grade level sessions are designed to deliver a unique experience. Participants are encouraged to re-apply as many years as they are eligible.

Scholarships are available. Only complete scholarship applications with the required documentation will be considered. If a student wishes to be considered for a scholarship, they should complete the following steps in the Barrett Summer Scholars application.

1. Select "yes" to question "Do you wish to apply for financial assistance if admitted into the program?" in program application.
2. Questions required include information on family annual average earned income, number of dependents in household under the age of 18, and if applicant receives free/reduced lunch.
3. In the event of recent financial hardship, students have the option to provide additional information about their circumstance and need for financial assistance.