College Possible provides resources

Program aims to prepare for success

Malaika Bigirindavyi

Senior College Possible coach Emily Smith assists students with planning future college visits at their meeting Oct. 6. College Possible meets after school every Monday through Thursday.

Esther Gendler

College Possible makes the college process more attainable for students with low income families, according to senior coach Emily Smith.

“(College Possible is) there for first generation and low income students as a way to help them find and access resources to gain access to college,” Smith said.

To join College Possible students have to be recommended by a teacher and go through an interview process, according to Smith.

“The family income has to be less than $65,000 for a family of four and it they have to follow a bunch of other guidelines like teachers have to recommend them and they have an interview process and stuff like that,” Smith said.

Senior Tenzin Jangchup said the application process to College Possible proved simple.

“It was easy, you just sign your name and later they call you for an interview,” Jangchup said. “Then they give you a sheet to fill out.”

According to Smith, College Possible follows students through the admission process and all the way through college.

“We assign them to a college coach where they’re in contact through emails, texting, Facebook all the social media to make sure that they’re doing O.K.,” Smith said “They’re just there as a support system and to make sure they’re re enrolling in classes and they’re doing O.K. and they’re getting through the college process well.”

According to Smith, College Possible continues to change their curriculum in order to make it more beneficial for students by including detailed information on topics important to students and leaving unimportant topics out of the curriculum.

“We have a new curriculum for College Possible,” Smith said. “It’s a little bit more comprehensive and streamlined so it’s a little bit more appropriate for what we’re doing. It’s not super extraneous information that students don’t really care about anymore”

College PossibleAccording to Jangchup, College Possible helped her improve her ACT score.

“I had a low (ACT score) in my junior and sophomore year and College Possible helped me,” Jangchup said. “I think I increased by about five score points.”

Students interested in more information can contact Emily Smith after school in C157 on either Mon. and Wed. or Tues. or Thurs., depending on the week.