by Ruby Lyon and Akeelya McKenzie
It’s College Pride month here at Row New York. Do you know your facts?
Fact: College textbook prices have risen over 1000% over the past 30 years.
To avoid rocketing prices, students are renting books, sometimes through sites like Chegg or TextbookRush, buying cheaper digital versions instead of hardcovers or paperbacks, and taking advantage of free, “open source” textbooks.
The term “college” is pre-packaged with different images and emotions. Some imagine difficult professor-student relationships. Others imagine being chased by debt for the rest of their lives. One common emotion brought on by the term is the anxiety of the unknown. As a major life transition, leaving home for college is often intimidating and riddled with questions (although very exciting!). This month, we aimed to demystify the ambiguity of higher education and open up conversations for all our student’s burning questions.
Myth: The SAT/ACT score is the most important thing in a college application.
Actually, an academic transcript takes priority.
Middle School
Let’s hit rewind for a moment. Waiting until the last year of high school isn’t typically the optimal time to breach the subject of applying to universities or community college. At Row New York, we prioritize college. If students are having conversations at home about further education, that’s great and we look forward to them sharing their insights. If they’re not, that’s OK too, because we’re having them here!
We start with our middle school students. The goal is to demonstrate that high school is a stepping stone to college. As they prepare in eighth grade to transition, we get our students thinking about the qualities they’re looking for in a high school and take note of what interests them. Developing self-awareness about needs and wants in middle school helps prepare students to make the bigger decisions after high school graduation.
Fact: The Common App can be used to apply to more than 400 schools.
The Common Application is an online college application that a majority of the colleges and universities in the US accept applications from.
High School
Our College Pride workshops are enriched by the diversity of our students. With athletes ranging in age, backgrounds, interests, and criteria for college, everyone benefits from learning from each other’s decisions. Throughout March, activities such as “college bingo,” “my dream college,” and speed checking college profiles helped familiarize students with the many different options available to them. As students looked through college profiles it sparked ideas of what they might want in a school, while also getting them to pay attention to the details (demographic breakdowns, class size ratios, tuition, and retention rates).
Perhaps one of the most important outcomes of the workshops is creating an open dialogue between Row New York staff and our participants. We might discuss financial aid in a group setting, but we show them that we are available to talk in one-on-one meetings. It also allows for small moments of advice, where tutors or coaches can share their thoughts on homesickness, or nudge an athlete to consider options they hadn’t thought of before.
“I like when we are all set up to do the activity, and then there is this question that catches you completely off guard from a student. I think, ‘you are amazing for asking this question’.
I like the fact I have to stay on my toes. The questions are interesting, and you get a sense that they’ve been holding off to ask. It’s like they’ve been looking for someone they could ask. I’m also a big fan of sharing my college experience with the students because I had a zigzag trajectory.” – Regina De Los Santos, Academic Program Manager
Some students may choose not to go to college right away and that’s okay. Some may opt for community college, or find they need to transfer. We support all of our athlete’s decisions. For the youngest middle schooler to alumni far and wide, Row New York is a resource. By opening up the dialogue about life as a high school student and how that plays into the bigger picture of college, we hope to assist our athletes through a successful journey. College Pride month is about embracing the beauty of curiosity, differences, the unknown, and the empowerment of knowledge.
With college decisions right around the corner, stay tuned to find out where this year’s senior class plans to head to this fall. In the meantime, read about the class of 2015’s adventures after Row New York.
