Getting to and through college is no small feat. That’s why we do everything we can to set our students up for success.
This year, the college counselors and college success advisors from SEED’s College Transition & Success team hosted 70 SEED juniors on the annual college tour for juniors. Students from SEED DC and SEED MD visited seven colleges, including Albertus Magnus College, Amherst College, Rider University, Rutgers University—Camden, Swarthmore College, West Chester University, and Wilkes University.
The goal of the tour is to give students a keen grasp on what a college looks, feels, and even tastes like! In addition to touring campus housing and buildings, students met college students and asked questions during a panel discussion.
“The majority of our students will be the first members of their families to go to college. Thus, college tours give them real-life exposure to different campuses,” said Joi Baker Jones, director of College Transition & Success. “Our goal is to demystify the experience so that they feel like college is a place where they will thrive and belong.
The colleges and universities selected for the annual tour must be SEED endorsed, which means they must have a track record of success for underrepresented students. Through our College Matching Tier System, we evaluate colleges on three criteria most vital to the success of low-income, first-generation students. First, we assess the quality and availability of campus supports. Second, we rank colleges based on the generosity of their financial aid packages. It’s critical to us that our students not take on lots of debt in order to obtain their degrees. Third, we look at the graduation rate of each institution. Only institutions with strong graduation rates are endorsed. SEED has ranked over 400 colleges and universities based on their performance in these three areas.
“In the same way that students need to be college ready, we believe that colleges need to be student ready, especially when it comes to serving underrepresented students,” said Vincena Allen, chief growth officer at SEED.
Ensuring that SEED students go to a SEED-endorsed school pays off. Sixty four percent of all SEED graduates who start at SEED-endorsed schools graduate. That’s more than four times the rate for students who start at colleges that are not SEED endorsed.
“Our data shows that choosing a right-fit college can make all the difference for our students,” said Ms. Allen. “We’re committed to ensuring that our students and families become informed consumers and better understand what to look for in a college. Choosing a college is one of the most important life decisions you can make. We want to be sure that SEED graduates get it right.”
Malik Conway (SEED MD ‘20) enrolled in SEED MD as a sixth-grade student and is now in his junior year of high school. He joined this year’s college tour. “I was so excited to visit West Chester University, Wilkes College, and Rider University to see what college is really like. This tour has allowed me to broaden my horizons. I’ve always wanted to go to college. It’s hard to believe that I may be a student at one of these schools very soon.”