When a student enrolls in the College Possible program, they are paired with a near-peer coach to support them with college applications, personal essays, standardized test prep, and more. College Possible also supports students with targeted events, including free visits to campuses in and outside of the Twin Cities.
This April, a group of College Possible students, along with three AmeriCorps service members and a College Possible program coordinator, visited the campuses of Gustavus Adolphus College and Minnesota State University, Mankato. After arriving on the Gustavus Adolphus College campus, the group met with the admissions department and the director of the Center for Inclusive Excellence. Before embarking on their tour, they met with a student panel and asked questions to get a better feel for what life on campus was like, and why the college was the right choice for them. Included on the panel was a current College Possible student that had chosen to attend Gustavus Adolphus College after hearing about the school from their own College Possible coach.
After lunch on campus, the group drove 20 minutes south to visit the Minnesota State University, Mankato campus, where they experienced what being on a state university campus was like, compared to a liberal arts college. “I really like that the visit was two very different campuses and communities, within about fifteen minutes of each other,” said Brendan Klein, a College Possible Minnesota Senior Program Coordinator chaperoning the trip. “Students on the trip experienced both campuses and got to compare them in a short period of time. I love getting students outside of the metro area, showing them what it means to be outside of the Twin Cities. I enjoy showing students that these campuses aren’t as far as they assume and that it’s possible to go to a school outside of their hometown.”
The group of 26 students included four high school senior students hoping to narrow down their lists of possible schools to attend in the fall. Most of the seniors had narrowed down their college acceptance decision to two schools and the campuses they visited on April 13 allowed them to experience the schools on their lists. Without College Possible transportation, most of the students would not have been able to visit campuses outside of the Twin Cities.
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