TASS Update Letter to Students

29 Nov TASS Update Letter to Students

Dear Student,

Thank you for your interest in applying to Telluride Association Summer Seminars (TASS) in 2022.

Telluride Association has made major changes to our summer offerings for this year. In this letter, we explain the most important changes and how they affect you as an applicant.

TASP Has Been Discontinued

We have discontinued the Telluride Association Summer Program (TASP) previously offered for high school juniors. This letter describes why TASP has been discontinued.

TASS Has Been Expanded 

We previously offered a program in Critical Black Studies for high school sophomores known as the Telluride Association Sophomore Seminars (TASS). This program will continue, but is now named the Telluride Association Summer Seminars (TASS). 

As well as renaming TASS, we have made two key changes to the program: adding an additional subject area, and expanding eligibility to include high school juniors.

TASS Includes A New Subject Area

Previously, all TASS programs were in the subject area of Critical Black Studies. Now, Telluride Association will offer TASS programs in two subject areas: Critical Black Studies and Anti-Oppressive Studies.

In TASS for Critical Black Studies (TASS-CBS) courses, students explore topics within history, politics, literature, art, and other intellectual and cultural contributions from people of African descent. Forming a Black learning community is an important goal of these programs.

In TASS for Anti-Oppressive Studies (TASS-AOS) courses, students explore topics in humanities and social sciences to investigate how white supremacy and other forms of power shape social structures. 

TASS Is Now Open to Juniors

Previously, TASS was only open to high school sophomores. Now, it is open to both sophomores and juniors (students in the summer between sophomore and junior years/”rising juniors”, or between junior and senior years/”rising seniors”). This applies to both subject areas, Critical Black Studies and Anti-Oppressive Studies.

At each TASS program, students who attend classes and share housing together will all be from the same grade level.

TASS Application Has Been Revised and Shortened

Telluride Association has made major changes to our application form. 

The application still requires essays, and the essays are still the most important factor in our admissions decisions. However, we now require three essays instead of four, and our essay prompts have changed. Additionally, we have shortened the length of each essay to 400-500 words (400 is the minimum requirement; 500 is the maximum). The application form is available here and is due January 5, 2022.

Due to these changes, students should not use applications from previous years as a model for writing their 2022 applications. 

Application Policies

Telluride Association has adopted the following policies for 2022 TASS applications. Please read these policies carefully before contacting us about your eligibility to apply.

• Students may apply to only one TASS subject area per year. You must choose whether to apply to TASS in Critical Black Studies or TASS in Anti-Oppressive Studies.

• Sophomore students who attend TASS in 2022 will be eligible to apply again in 2023. However, students must change subject areas between years. Students who participate in TASS for Critical Black Studies in 2022 are eligible only for Anti-Oppressive Studies in 2023, and vice versa.

• Sophomore students who apply to TASS but are not selected in 2022 (or who are selected but do not attend the program) will be eligible to apply again in 2023. These students are not required to change subject areas from their original application.

• All students who meet the grade level requirements are eligible to apply for either subject area (either TASS for Critical Black Studies or TASS for Anti-Oppressive Studies). However, TASS for Critical Black Studies will prioritize the selection of Black students. TASS for Anti-Oppressive Studies will prioritize the selection of Black students, Indigenous students, and other students of color, as well as students who have experienced economic hardship.

• Grade Level Definition: You are eligible to apply to TASS during your sophomore (second) and junior (third) years of high school. 
  • If you do not have a four-year high school curriculum, you are eligible to apply if you were born any time between June 28, 2003 and June 27, 2007. 
  • If you have a four-year high school curriculum, but your academic year does not correspond to the US/Canada academic year, you are eligible to apply if you were born any time between June 28, 2003 and June 27, 2007. 
    • The US/Canada academic year begins between late July and late September and ends between mid-May and late June. All other academic years are considered non-US.
  • Additionally, if you have a four-year curriculum but your academic calendar has changed significantly as a result of COVID, you are eligible to apply if you were born any time between June 28, 2003 and June 27, 2007. If this situation applies to you, please contact Telluride Association at tass-queries@tellurideassociation.org to confirm your eligibility.
  • No one may apply to TASS more than twice.
  • No one may attend TASS after they have graduated from high school.