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

Resources:

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

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