Finding the Best Fit and Embracing Diversity: Guiding RNY Students on their College Paths

by Regina De Los Santos

Being a part of the 55th annual Harvard Summer Institute on College Admission was an interesting and insightful experience. This institute, which was hosted by The College Board and Harvard University, comes together once a year to provide college readiness counselors with a week dedicated to topics surrounding college admission. From costs to demographics, public vs. private and the extraordinary work the UC California system is doing for undocumented students, the event was informative, encouraging and filled with people helping high school students through the college admissions process.

The workshops and events were led by experts in their field. There were admissions counselors from competitive public and private colleges, as well as college readiness counselors from public New York City high schools. One of my favorite workshops discussed the cultural challenges affecting retention for first generation students. Here, I learned that first generation students are the most at-risk group on college campuses. Many factors influence this – the increasing the costs of higher education, homogeneous demographics on campuses – and, for some students, the fact that leaving home to live on campus is a very huge deal. I know that for me, as a first generation student, it was never an option to leave home because I had to work, as many other first generation students have to do.

At Row New York, when I have conversations with students about what colleges they’re interested in and what questions and confusions they might have about all of this, I constantly have to remind myself how scary and overwhelming this all was at seventeen years old. I think meeting the students where they’re at is key as well as speaking with them, and not at them, about college. One workshop shared strategies to implement when talking to students about college readiness; one aspect of doing this type of work is that it has to feel personal. It’s not about the best school, but about finding the best fit: guiding students to find their best fit, which will provide them the support they need to be successful within their college experience.

Aside from sitting in on empowering workshops,  the people I met made all the difference. I had lunch at a table with other New York City nonprofits, like Minds Matter, Prep for Prep, iMentor, Blue Engine, and America Needs. All of us are doing very similar work. It was fun to talk about what neighborhoods we lived in, where our students are from and what practices we’re currently applying to get our students ready for college. We shared experiences about having sometimes tough conversations about topics like financial aid packages and plan b – or even c – and the beauty in receiving that call from a student to tell you that they’ve gotten into their top choice.

Finally, the most exciting and thrilling piece of information I learned over this weeklong event is that there is currently a changing demographic of high school graduates: more students of color are graduating. We’re seeing a dramatic reshaping of our population. Every year, college campuses are seeing an increase in racial, geographical and socioeconomic diversity. Music to my ears! I think part of the reason for this is the work of organizations like Row New York. There are many initiatives doing very intentional work when it comes to helping students find their right fit, and at RNY we are doing just that. The Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions allowed me recognize the important work Row New York is doing and I gotta say, I’m loving what’s happening.

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