Pre-College Writing Program

• Use professional design software programs, including Photoshop, InDesign, and Muse.
• Shoot photos around campus with DSLRs and learn photography concepts and tricks.
• Create a final project utilizing your photos and designs.
• Learn graphic design and web design fundamentals.
• Personal Strategic Planning (Education & Career planning) instruction to help empower
students to find their career path, break through their barriers, and take ownership of their
future college and career goals.
• Students will visit the internationally acclaimed Hammer Museum in Westwood, just a short
walk down the street from the UCLA campus.
• Small staff-to-student ratio. Personalized support from a dedicated team of experienced
creative faculty and staff.
• Access to campus facilities: libraries and computer labs, gym, restaurants and cafes.
• Form friendships and bonds with high achieving students from around the world.
• Fun activities on and off campus.

• Learn how to complete the critical steps to become a
competitive applicant for admission to your “best fit and top
choice” college or university.
• One-on-one college and career counseling from experienced
counselors with 10 plus years in the field.
• Experience the culture of the U.S. higher education system
and teaching methods in order to prepare for future study at
American universities.
• Learn about the graphic design and photography fields from
working professionals.
• Gain hands-on experience with professional design tools.
• Swim with friends and UCLA students at the Sunset Canyon
Recreation Center pool.
• Optional: Bond with classmates by attending evening movies
and other fun activities in Westwood Village, the cultural hub of
UCLA.

Classes on Campus
What is it like to take classes at UCLA? Explore life
at UCLA. NAPCA students will gain a sense of what
life is like at one of the world’s leading educational
institutions, while learning to live and interact with
their peers and staff. Become better prepared and
a more competitive applicant for admission to their
“best-fit and top choice” college.

Hands-On Adobe Software Instruction
Learn how to use industry standard cutting edge
design software including Photoshop, InDesign,
and Muse. Design projects for web and print. There’s
so much more to design than creating — it’s also
important to know how to make corrections to
thousands of pages with one click of a button.
These courses help you get ahead of the creative
competition with essential time-saving tips.

Fun & Engaging College and Career
Readiness Courses & Activities
Our college and career readiness program
curriculum will prepare students to break through
the social, cultural, and academic barriers that
most college students face on their path to college
graduation and career entry. Our goal is to connect
students with the knowledge, tools, and resources
to help them become prepared to navigate the
path to college entry and completion, and their
career.

Dining on Campus
Students and program staff will eat together family
style. UCLA has excellent eating facilities; every
student, faculty, and staff member has the option
to eat creative, delicious, nutritious meals every
day, even if they have food allergies or special
dietary needs dictated by health, ethical, religious,
or medical reasons. Students are also welcome to
bring meals from home.

Photography Tour of Campus
Get into the field with your own camera or borrow
one of ours. Investigate the nooks and crannies of
UCLA’s beautiful campus and learn how to use DSLR
cameras as they were intended, utilizing aperature,
speed, depth of field, panning, and other features.
Students staying for the Extended evening program
adventure out at night and learn how to get the best
out of the darkness. Then bring your photos back to
the classroom to work on your own projects.

Group Critique
An important part of the creative process involves
getting feedback from your peers, as well as giving
constructive criticism. Students will have the
opportunity to offer their opinions on their fellow
students’ designs, and get advice from classmates
and instructors, to help answer the question: Is your
design meeting the goals of the assignment?

8:1 Ratio Average of Students to Instructors
Students will thrive on personal attention from
multiple instructors. While NAPCA provides the tools,
students have freedom to take these lessons and
create their own vision of the assignments, which
could include posters, websites, flyers, book covers, or
their own personal portfolios.

Career Planning and Development
Empowering students to find their purpose/career path
Students will receive Personal Strategic Planning
(Education and Career Planning) instruction to help
empower them to find their purpose/career path,
learn how to break through their barriers, and take
ownership of their future post-secondary education
and career goals.

Supervision and Care
Student safety, security and health are our first
priority at NAPCA. All NAPCA programs are held at
safe campus locations and have access to campus
security. Campus security officers will be on duty
24 hours a day and will frequently patrol all campus
facilities (classrooms, etc.) used by the program.

Welcome Ceremony
This event will take place on the first day of your
program session. The program includes short
speeches by the Program Director and staff of the
program session, and other distinguished guest
speakers such as NAPCA Alumni. Immediately after
the official ceremony, students and their parents
will attend the student and parent orientation.
Special welcome/student and parent orientation
packages with important information will be
distributed.

Student and Parent Orientation
Orientation is an exciting opportunity for students
and parents to get acclimated to NAPCA and meet
fellow classmates, faculty, and staff. This event will
take place on the first day of your program session.
We are excited to welcome you to the NAPCA
Summer Academy!

UCLA College Tour
Students will get the opportunity to take a tour of the
University of California at Los Angeles. Throughout
the tour students learn what they love and don’t love
about the university. Stops include the student store,
historical landmarks, sculpture gardens, libraries,
Pauley Pavillion, inverted fountain, and much more.

Attend UCLA Course Lecture
During our time at UCLA, NAPCA students will attend a
course lecture, particularly the lectures of some of the
more popular academic courses. If there is a specific
academic class you want to attend, let us know so we
can work hard for you to make your wish come true.

Visit the Hammer Museum
Students will visit the internationally acclaimed
Hammer Museum in Westwood, just a short walk
down the street from the UCLA campus. The museum
features contemporary art, as well as permanent
collections featuring Rembrandt, Daumier, and many
other artists that will inspire you.

Visit Design and Journalism Departments
Choosing and declaring an academic major by
the end of your college sophomore year should
be your number one schedule planning priority.
NAPCA students will visit the design and journalism
departments to learn about the process to declare
their intended academic major. If you are not yet sure
of a major or you are choosing between a few majors,
don’t worry about it. We are here to help you make an
informed decision.

Program Culmination: Poster Session
Students will showcase their final design project and
celebrate their NAPCA Summer Academy experience
with their peers, NAPCA staff, and family. These
projects incorporate the skills they have worked on
during the program, including their photography and
design.