Pre-Collegiate Summer Scholars Program

What is PSSP?

The Pre-Collegiate Summer Scholars Program (PSSP) offers select students a chance to live and learn on campus prior to the start of their first year. Throughout the six week program, students take classes, explore the campus and community, and get to know their peers, faculty and Student Support Specialists within their college.

PSSP students take courses and earn up to 9 credits toward their degree. While all participants take one of ILR’s core courses, like Labor History, other courses may include economics, writing, history, and skills for college success.

All 190 of Cornell’s PSSP participants will be assigned a roommate and live in McClintock on the North side of campus. McClintock Hall is named in honor of Cornell 1923 -1927 graduate and Nobel Prize winner Barbara McClintock. McClintock Hall aims to draw students out of their individual rooms and into ample common areas that support group study, social interaction, and programs in spacious lounges and nearby cafés.

The Dates for PSSP Summer 2023 are June 14th - August 2nd. Participation in PSSP is restricted to students chosen by each college. Students selected, whether required or invited, to attend will be notified by the beginning of April. All tuition, fees, room, and board charges are covered by Cornell.

Peer mentors are current Cornell students who assist with the success of PSSP. Peer mentors will help guide and serve as a resource to the selected students that participate in PSSP. Any current student will need to apply and go through an interview process to serve as a peer mentor.

Peer mentor applications are closed for 2023, but we will be recruiting again in spring, 2024.

My experience as a PSSP mentor helped me learn about my desires for my future career. The connections I made with the PSSP students were very rewarding, and I still connect with some of them. I enjoyed providing guidance to incoming students through resident-life advice, information on Cornell resources, and helping them get acclimated to ILR. Continuous mentoring was a big piece for me, because I get to check in with the people I mentored during the school year and offer help about campus. I'm grateful to ILR staff for their help and support for both me and the students I mentored.
– Libby Willkomm '23, BSILR student from Wisconsin