Step2theU: An Amazing Opportunity for Alta Students

Step2theU, set up and introduced by former principal Dr. Brian Mcgill, is a program that was created through a partnership between Alta High School and the University of Utah to help students “save approximately $15,000-$20,000 in tuition and other associated college fees.” Only Juniors can apply, as the program will span from the second week of June to the end of summer after senior year. The goal of this program is to allow high school students a unique, college-level experience that will allow them to get their associate’s degree in a little over 2 years. This program also greatly decreases the overall costs of taking general ed college classes.

Sydney Ketcheside,  a senior at Alta and Step2theU participant, says that she is grateful for the Step2theU program. “I have to pay my own way through college, so I’m super happy that this saved me so much time and money.”

The classes are taught by college professors, and though the classwork may be rigorous, it is well worth it to gain valuable experience and decrease the overall time spent in college. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have the best GPA- the program is open to most determined students with good work ethic.

“It was really fun and not that hard,” says Sydney Ketcheside. “All the people I was in the program with worked with each other to study and get our work done.”

The application process this year is completely online. To start it, head to Alta High School’s website. On the home page, click the slide titled Step to the U which will open another page with more information about Step to the U. Click on the button titled “University of Utah’s Step2theU Webpage” which will link you to the application page.

The application itself is pretty straight forward, until you get to the part about transcriptions. To request your transcript, go back to the Alta High School’s website and below the slideshow, you will see an “Order Records” button. Students will probably need to create a Parchment account first, then  request a transcript to be sent to the program and upload it to your application. You will also need to upload a letter of recommendation. Good people to ask for these are counselors, teachers or coaches. However, make sure not to wait too long to ask, since they’ll need enough time to write the letter.

Once you’ve submitted the application, you should get a notice in February to see if you were accepted. The website will have more details for what to do after that.

Sydney has some tips for newbies in the program, “Make sure you look at the syllabus,” she advises, “and pay close attention to the due dates. Make sure get everything in on time, and you will be fine.”

The deadline for the application is on February 1st. If students have any more questions, be sure to talk to your counselors for more information. Alta’s website also has a Virtual Assembly by Mr. McGill for current juniors.