High School Startup Launchpad

Weekday cohort meet virtually twice a week on Tuesdays & Thursdays. Weekend cohort meet every Saturday in person on UC Berkeley Haas Campus, with a requirement of completing weekly pre-requisite coursework.

This highly selective program is open to academically motivated high school students, in rising 10th – 12th grades and gap year students. As program participants, students will:

• Learn Business & Entrepreneurship Principles
• Network with scholars, academics, and industry experts at the intersection of business, innovation, and technology
• Engage with university students and B-BAY alumni who will guide you through the curriculum
• Build a community of lifelong connections
• Differentiate with a UC Berkeley Certification of Participation and a personalized evaluation letter
• Meet and engage with fellow students and teachers from across the United States and all over the world

PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH

While course instructors do provide a significant amount of substantive instruction, students learn largely by engaging directly with the subject matter. Classes are experiential and collaborative. Through activities such as simulations, workshops, meetings with guest speakers, assigned readings, and individual and group projects, students are encouraged to think logically, independently, critically, and creatively. Undergraduate UC Berkeley Teaching Assistants and B-BAY Alumni guide them in learning how to do so. Even more important than the particular knowledge participants gain in any of these classes is the ability to think with both open-mindedness and precision about complex and challenging material. We believe that this skill will be essential to them, not only in their academic career, but also in their lives as world citizens and future leaders.

GRADES, EVALUATIONS, AND CREDIT

The Academic Year Program for High School Students is academically rigorous; courses do not carry college credit.

Grades are assigned periodically throughout the program. Upon successful participation in the program, students receive an official University of California Berkeley Certificate of Participation and written evaluations from their teaching assistants.

Evaluations and Certificates of Participation are typically issued within 6-8 weeks from the end of the program.

ATTENDANCE

Learning in our courses is largely based on what takes place in class meetings, it is important that students attend all class sessions. During the Academic Year program, students have 2 excused absences per semester and staff must be notified. A student who misses multiple class sessions may not receive a Certification of Participation. Unexcused absences can lead to dismissal from the program. Attendance is carefully monitored.

THE VIRTUAL CLASSROOM

Through UC Berkeley’s leading online interactive learning platform Canvas, Playlab, Glidr  which have been a hallmark of our undergraduate classes, students across the globe can engage with one another through rigorous curricular instruction and informative college success events.

COMMUNITY STANDARDS & ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Program participants are expected to function, both intellectually and in terms of maturity, at the level of University students.

The University of California Berkeley Haas takes matters of intellectual integrity very seriously. Plagiarism is not tolerated. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, submitting work done by another person or purchased from any source; failure to document ideas found in sources, whether print or electronic, with appropriate notes and bibliographical references; failure to enclose borrowed phrases or sentences within quotation marks; and turning in the same assignment for two courses without advance permission from both instructors. AI usage is restricted and students are mandated to produce original work.

Plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional, will result in dismissal from the program. Students who are unsure about the proper presentation of their work should consult their Teaching Assistant.