215: 17 Things Students of Color (+ Their Counselors and Parents) Should Know When Applying to College

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Hi, friends. It’s me, College Essay Guy, back after a hiatus and very glad to be back. I’m excited to share with you a conversation I had with Sydney Montgomery on 17 Things Students of Color + Their Counselors and Parents Should Know When Applying to College. 

  • In this episode we cover, among other things:

    • Ways that students of Color can advocate for themselves while in high school

    • How to research Historically Black Colleges and Universities

    • Ways to learn more about fit at colleges that are not minority-serving

    • Where to find more financial aid after you’ve been accepted

    • How parents can get involved to advocate for their students in high school and college

    • How counselors can more fully serve students of Color

    • & First steps that counselors can take to become focused on racial equity and anti-racism

    All this and more

PLAY-bY-PLAY

[1:00] Who is Sydney Montgomery? 
[3:00] Why does Sydney do this work? 
[3:45] Tip #1: Own your academic journey
[6:30] #2: Strive to reach higher than just the bare minimum graduation requirements. 
[7:48] #3: Make sure that your college application list is tailored to your academic profile. 
[10:15] #4: Make sure you and your counselor have a good fit relationship 
[13:14] #5: Form allies outside of your counselor or teacher.
[14:04] #6: Prepare a brag sheet for teachers’ letters of recommendation
[15:40] #7: Parents should start to request information about FAFSA and financial aid in the 9th grade.
[17:20] #8: Parents and students need to consider finances when building a college list
[22:15] #9: Students should advocate for themselves in the early stages of the college application process
[23:30] #10: Don’t overlook the importance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities
[27:40] #11: Speak to students in the Black Student Union or other cultural affinity groups when on college visits.
[28:50] #12: Look up a school’s profile on the Common Data Set
[32:25] #13: Apply to scholarships offered by Black Sororities and Fraternities (the “Divine Nine”)
[33:05] #14: Apply to scholarships with Black churches
[33:30] #15: Don’t discount things like church activities and helping out at home or with younger siblings
[35:20] #16: Actively pursue certain specialized programs like magnet programs.
[36:15] #17: Parents can push school districts and boards of education to fund schools on an equitable basis to combat education disparities.
[37:45] How counselors can more fully serve students of Color
[43:30] First steps that counselors can take to become focused on racial equity and anti-racism

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