Virtual counseling ​for college admissions creates new opportunities

For a teenager, applying to a university can be intimidating. In decades past, high school counselors would have the opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with students to make sure student's applications were on the right track. Unfortunatly, today's student to counselor ratio at most high schools makes that one-on-one guidance nearly impossible. CollegePoint is aggressively working to provide a solution. The organization targets high-achieving students from low and moderate-income families that typically would not apply to top universities that they are qualified to attend. The non-profit is accomplishing this virtually. "We have an advisor that matches with every student," says CollegePoint's Alysha Rashid. The advisor then meets with the student using different virtual tools. "Whether it's by text, email, phone calls, video chats, advisors get to meet with students as often as they would like," says Rashid. Bryden Sweeney-Taylor says they work with about 60 full time college advisors and about 600 part-time volunteer advisors. "This year we'll work with 12,000 students." says Sweeney-Taylor. The service is free and made possible by Bloomberg Philanthropies. "Because it's virtual because we're not flying advisors across the country, we're able to reach students in small towns and in rural communities and in all 50 states," says Sweeney-Taylor. To learn more about CollegePoint listen to Episode 110 of the Class Dismissed Podcast on your favorite podcast app or on iTunes. All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017-2019