Staff members conduct high school visits at least once each semester. They meet with the students in group and individual settings as well as talk with guidance counselors and teachers. They discuss the student's overall high school experience, they engage in academic and personal planning, and they address any questions or concerns.

Each class of Scholars participates in at least one weekend program each semester. Freshmen and sophomore Scholars focus on study skills and academic assessment, and junior Scholars work on test-preparation skills and leadership development. Senior Scholars concentrate on college transition issues and make two campus visits during which they have the opportunity to interact with current college Scholars, attend campus events, and sit in on actual college courses with their Scholar hosts.

Argumentative writing, like that expected in college courses, is not included in Kentucky's core content requirements for high school English curricula. To fill this gap and adequately prepare its Scholars for the transition to college, the Program engages students in argumentative writing exercises throughout their four years in high school. During the freshmen and sophomore years, Scholars attend a fall essay workshop that is part of one of the weekend programs. They leave the workshop with an assignment. Each student drafts an essay and submits it via email to the Program's writing consultant. He provides feedback on the draft, the student revises the essay, and he/she resubmits. The freshmen and sophomore experiences provide a build-up to the week-long Writers' Workshop during the summers prior to the junior and senior years. Additionally, the Program utilizes the reflective essay to provide the Scholars with an additional meaning-making experience for many of the high school programs.

The Program provides every senior with the Senior Year Checklist at the Writers' Workshop prior to the senior year. The Senior Year Checklist walks the students and their families through the paperwork involved in the high school-to-college transition. The Program uses the Checklist, or "green sheet" as it is affectionately called, to guide students through the admissions, financial aid, and housing application processes. Every time staff members and students come together during the senior year, they review the "green sheet."

RSP staff members are available anytime to Scholars and their families to address questions or concerns. The Program serves as a conduit to school and community resources and, when no resources exist, the Program seeks to provide them. Individualized services have included tutoring, counseling referrals, testing referrals, social services referrals, and assistance to parents seeking to further their education.

Newly selected Scholars participate in the New Scholars Program the summer between their 8^th and 9^th grade year. As a seven-day program, the NSP focuses on Appalachian culture and heritage. The program highlights aspects of Eastern Kentucky history that has shaped the region and made it and its people so unique. Aside from just learning about this history in a classroom setting, Scholars actually get to experience it. By entering a mock mine in Benham, Kentucky, hiking in Robinson Forest and visiting the home of late Governor Bert T. Combs, the Robinson Scholars Program brings eastern Kentucky's rich history alive. At the conclusion of the program, Scholars are instructed to gather oral accounts of this history from people in their communities.

As rising sophomores, Robinson Scholars participate in a five-day Water Pioneers program. Water is essential to human life, and through this program, Scholars learn about water quality, its effects on the surrounding environment and wildlife, and humans' affect on the environment. Filled with fun and exciting activities, Scholars get to visit wetlands, caves and lakes to see how conditions change with different environments. Students also learn about insects and insect identification through a bug tent, and about tree identification on a nature hike. Scholars are then asked to take this new knowledge back to their communities and implement community service projects aimed at educating others about environmental issues.

Rising juniors and seniors participate in the Writers' Workshop. Scholars spend seven days living in dorms at the University of Kentucky and getting familiar with campus and UK faculty. The Writers' Workshop also introduces Scholars to argumentative writing and works to prepare students for writing at the college level. Through the Workshop, Scholars also have the opportunity to hear from and work with nationally renowned Kentucky authors. This past year, these special guests included poets Frank X Walker and Nikky Finney.

Whether it is a school sport or club or a community organization, it is important to get involved. Becoming involved encourages you to put yourself out there—you get outside your comfort zone, meet new people and have new experiences, which will help you in your transition to college. By exploring your interests in high school, you will have a better idea of what organizations and what types of people you want to be involved with in college. Walking into a room full of people you don't know, a very common occurrence in college won't be as scary because you've done it and you've made friends.

Universities tend to be melting pots, bringing together people of all different nations, religions, cultures and races. Allowing pre-determined ideas or prejudices to rule your thoughts and behavior will prevent you from learning and experiencing a vital part of college life. Many students experience a sort of culture shock during their first weeks on campus. The environment is completely different from anything they've ever experienced and it is filled with people who dress, behave, believe and worship differently. As a high school student, you can prepare for this by learning as much as you can about other cultures. Understanding cultural differences will help prepare you for college life and hopefully make the university and the world seem not so strange and unusual. Knowledge is power—use it.