Helpful College Tips from Stanford Students for Low-Income and First-Generation College Applicants October 27, 2009

Paul Partridge on helpful tips for upcoming college freshman.

An important meeting of college minds took place this past week in New York City. It was the College Board Forum 2009: Education and the American Future seminar. This seminar was attended by educators from public and private secondary schools, along with colleges, universities and non-profit educational facilities.

Prominent educational figures in attendance included New York City schools Chancellor Joel Klein and Ohio State University President E. Gorden Gee; but maybe one of the most informational sessions came from two individuals who were only a few years removed from the college application process themselves.

Garrett Neiman and Jessica Perez, both seniors at Stanford University, have created an independent, nonprofit organization devoted to counseling lowincome and first-generation college applicants. Mr. Neiman and Ms. Perez’s creation titled SEE College Prep offers several areas of assistance to those looking for some answers during difficult times. Speaking from experience, their advice included correctly filling out financial aid forms, tirelessly preparing for SAT’s and writing an effective, attention-grabbing college essay.

Other useful college tips shared by Mr. Neiman and Ms. Perez:

• It is a possibility for those students demonstrating financial need to inquire about fee waivers for SAT tests and college applications. “They should not fret about that,” Ms. Perez said.
• High School students may be able to secure internships or assistant positions with university science laboratories, especially those students who show a true interest in medicine. These positions will help high school students gain more experience and in turn use that experience to wow colleges with their extra curricular activities and help them apply for more academic scholarships.
• Those in financial need or with transportation challenges should sign up for the SAT’s as early as possible, because the closer to a test date one signs up, the further from home you maybe placed — making it extremely difficult to attend.
• A very interesting statistic is that “the average student misses 50 percent of the questions,” noted Mr. Neiman. Understanding this before taking the test may help students become less discouraged throughout. Knowing the test is hard for everyone and focusing on the questions that you know will improve your score.

When asked how he got the idea to start this program. Mr. Neiman said he began tutoring high school students on the SAT while still in high school himself and holding down another part time job at McDonalds. “It was my way out of McDonalds,” he joked.