Every senior at H.I.S.D.’s Carnegie Vanguard is admitted to college with 95% matriculating to four-year institutions. Every single senior. First generation college bound students from very low-income families. Students with less than exemplary grades. Even uncertain students who are not convinced of the value of higher education are expected to try, and each of them have been accepted at a college or university before they graduate. Some are awarded full scholarships to prestigious institutions; some accept work-study packages and borrow to cover their expenses locally. Their school counselors and interns faithfully channel these students through the process of determining their destiny.
For schools without such devoted on-site advisors private college admissions consultants are happy to help. Count on spending between $850 – $10,000 with an average hourly rate of $200 for their advice which comes with no guarantee of admittance to your desired institution. For students inbetween these circumstances, free help (and sometimes funding) is available to direct your endeavor. Libraries are a good source of information. College admissions offices are full of helpful details. Teachers are often helpful. Dan Lee is an admissions consultant who believes that some colleges covet firstgeneration college students (those from homes where neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree) so much that they are preferred over more highly prepared students. To demonstrate their preferences these schools, offer scholarships to some capable, less well-resourced students whose parents lack a bachelors degree,.
He says colleges and universities realize that GPAs and standardized test scores are frequently the result of socioeconomic circumstances, so many institutions review low-income students’ performance through the lens of their individual high schools, not in comparison to the entire applicant pool. Mr. Lee co-founded the Solomon Admissions Consulting Group, and he understands how challenging it is for a student to make themselves outshine their peers in the effort to be chosen by the school of their choice. “Especially for kids who are applying to a lot of the top schools, it’s almost like a part-time job.”
Certainly, many kids must feel like a part-time job is necessary just to participate in the college application process, even before paying for the tuition, fees, books, and board needed to continue their education. Registration to sit for the SAT costs $55 (but can be waived for eligible candidates). Application fees to individual colleges can run up to $100 but most Historically Black Colleges and Universities offer a Common Black College Application (CBCA), allowing students to apply for up to fifty HBCUs with just a single application and $35.
