Four weeks: June 29–July 24, 2009

CCA's Pre-College Program is an inspiring opportunity for high school students to study art or creative writing in an art-school setting while earning 3 college credits.

Participants immerse themselves in a college-level curriculum and become part of a creative community, meeting and working with other talented, serious students from diverse backgrounds. While taking classes on CCA's beautiful and historic Oakland campus, they can explore the Bay Area's rich culture and geography. Pre-College provides a perfect platform to expand their knowledge, grow as individuals, develop strong portfolio pieces, and get a taste of college life.

The juxtaposition of the San Francisco Bay Area's wild, open spaces and thriving urban centers has long been a draw for creative individuals from around the world. An abundance of culture and history exists here, from the commercial creative endeavors of Pixar and Lucasfilm to the legacy of the 1950s Beat Poet scene to such world-renowned museums as the de Young and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and recent architectural projects by Renzo Piano, Daniel Libeskind, and Herzog & de Meuron.

Pre-College students will find much to inspire them as they study in this unique environment.

Summer 2009 is the Pre-College Program's 23rd year. Approximately 250 students attend each summer, many of them from around the country or abroad. More than half of the students (160) reside in CCA housing.