It’s College Tour Season Part 2

So, our second college tour happened to be the Historically Black College, Bowie State. Before we toured their campus, we went to the National Mall. Now, we didn’t have a lot of time to go each of the museums and tour all of the monuments so I created a scavenger hunt for my students, so they could take in as much as possible.

Unfortunately it rained, so it dampened my students’ spirits a bit, but we still had tons of fun. One of the rules of the scavenger hunt was to post their pictures on Instagram they could not however, post their answers on there because all the other teams would see it.  (yes, we use this a lot because the kids use it a lot why not incorporate it into my lesson?)

the hunt begins

one of the clues

of course I had to make the Capitol one of the clues

After our scavenger hunt, we trekked on to our tour of Bowie State. It’s a little off the beaten path, so we couldn’t tour the neighborhood like we did at Georgetown. Our tour guide were very helpful here. Usually, tour guides have trouble with middle school students…they aska ton of questions and a little on the immature side. They usually prefer high school students, but our tour guide joked around with our students and made them feel right at home. They were also very thorough and we were able to go inside some of the buildings. My students really appreciated the welcome mate being rolled out for them.  

and the tour begins

Our tour guide, joking around with the students and showing them the Performing Arts building.

My students loved this tour!

It’s College Tour Season Part 1

First let me start this off by saying that in addition to teaching a creative writing course, I also teach a college readiness class called AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination). Last week proved to be pretty productive for my AVID class. We knocked out 2 out of the 3 college tours we had set for this quarter. We’ve been talking about college all year, and I’ve been preparing them for one component of the college admissions process by having them work on electronic portfolios using Google sites. They’ve added their autobiographic sketches, resumes, pictures, and outline for their 5 year plan to their portfolios.

One assignment I added when we got closer to touring the colleges was the college profile. They had to choose 3 colleges they wanted to attend and give me information on admission requirements, costs, scholarships/financial aid, available housing, student organizations on campus, and course requirements for their chosen major. This had a tremendous impact on how they viewed the college tours. One, they knew what to look for and to ask the tour guide, and two, they asked more detailed questions. Last year, when I took my students to Georgetown and Howard, they asked questions like, “What dining selections are available?” This year they asked, “What are the meal plan options and how much does each one cost?”

So the first campus we toured was Georgetown’s campus. We went down to Georgetown and walked through the neighborhood, ate lunch at the restaurants on M and relaxed by the riverfront before we went to campus. This way, students considering this university had a chance to see the neighborhood they probably would be frequenting and the campus.

Walking through the neighborhood.

Playing Frisbee by the riverfront

 By the riverfront..I wanted to take them on a riverboat cruise to see the monuments, but our grant money was way too specific for that 😦 

 touring the campus 

touring the campus

180 Days: American High School

PBS follows one struggling District of Columbia school’s journey to redemption. This is probably one of the more realistic depictions of what really goes on in urban schools across the nation. Here, you get to hear from the CHILDREN, teachers, parents, and community leaders who all come together to support the school. There aren’t any assessment companies, sponsors, or politicos recording this to insert propaganda or political agendas. They instead delve into the lives of the people interact with the children the most. I’ve seen this story play out in so many places. Parents, teachers, and communities do in fact care for their youth…I’m just glad someone caught this on camera for a more accurate picture. 

180 Days: American High School Part 1

and

180 Days: American High School Part 2

Poor Students Go Unnoticed by Some Elite Universities

As an AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) coordinator and teacher it is my job to prepare my students to be “college bound” Well, while I was trying to put together several college tours for my students I ran into a bunch of issues that don’t align with American’s vision of this college readiness…

-Several of the universities refused to give a tour to middle school students

-Several would only take a group of 15 or less

I’m sorry are they not in the business of recruiting? What happened to the earlier the better?

Anyway, there’s that, and then I came across this video:

Poor Students Go Unnoticed by Some Elite Universities

I wonder if there are many more reasons why poor students don’t attend elite universities.

Are they exposed to these options early on? I tried sending my students to a diverse array of universities and was either turned down by these universities because of the age group or have been told by other faculty members that “our kids probably won’t go to a school like that.”I have a teacher friend who showed her 1st grade EIP class colleges online and her colleagues laughed at her saying, “Not this group.” Expectations play a key role.

Where are these schools often located? Princeton, NJ; Cambridge, MA; New Haven, CT…if you already come from an urban area how boring do these places sound? (j/k) But think about it, you’re already being moved out of your comfort zone and far away from anything familiar, not to mention the fact that most college graduates end up staying in the city where their undergraduate school is located in, why would you go? What recruitment efforts are being put in place to make these places more attractive beyond the academic status quo?

Also, when it comes to coming from a poor family, what can be done to help the student AND the family. I had many a friend in college, working to pay their tuition and supporting family back home at the same time. This is easier to do in large urban areas, and of course near their previous residence, hence why kids usually attend college in their home states.

Lastly, influence is the greatest factor in the selection a student makes in the college they choose. It’s not that poor people don’t attend these elite institutions, it’s that they don’t come back. Perhaps if students knew individuals living in their community who may attended these schools they might be more likely to apply.