St. Paul, Minn. (Oct. 13, 2010) – Low-income students in the Admission Possible program had exclusive access to over 160 college recruiters from institutions across Minnesota and the nation during the Minnesota Independent Schools Partnership college fair in Minneapolis October 10. The partnership between MISP and Admission Possible, now in its eighth year, provides Admission Possible students the opportunity to meet and greet college representatives, an important step in an increasingly competitive college admissions process.
According to the National College Access Network, low-income high achieving students attend college at the same rate as high-income low achieving students. And as colleges and universities recuperate from the economic downturn, students must work even harder to access the resources to fund their education.
While this especially competitive environment can create greater disadvantages for students from low-income backgrounds, Admission Possible helps its students seek out the experiences and resources to be stronger applicants by providing ACT preparation, guidance in preparing college applications and help in obtaining financial aid and applying for scholarships.
“With so many prestigious institutions in one place, this fair is an incredible experience for our students to have,” said Admission Possible Program Coordinator Chris Mitchell. “But the MISP fair is not only helpful for our students; it also gives recruiters an opening to speak to young people with the diverse experiences that colleges are looking for.”
Partnering with colleges, universities and other organizations to provide access to college fairs and campus visits is another way Admission Possible helps its students stay competitive. This fall alone, students will be able to attend more than a dozen campus visits and college fairs, opportunities they would not otherwise be aware of or be able to attend. In the case of the MISP fair, fair organizers reserve the afternoon of the one-day fair exclusively for Admission Possible students to meet with college and university representatives.
“Coming to the fair gave me the opportunity to know more about out-of-state colleges, colleges I wouldn’t have known about otherwise,” said Gaol Thao, an Admission Possible and Patrick Henry High School senior.
Admission Possible executive director Sara Dziuk said, “Speaking with college representatives at the fair is an empowering experience for our students because they get to see how much colleges want them on campus. They start to really understand their own potential and envision themselves as college students.”
