College Possible

College Possible (formerly "Admission Possible") is a nonprofit AmeriCorps organization making college admission and success possible for low-income students in the United States through an intensive curriculum of coaching and support. Its model uses recent college graduates serving an AmeriCorps term of service as near-peer mentors for students lacking the social resources to successfully enroll in and graduate from college.^[1] Headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the organization currently serves students in all 50 states with offices located in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro area, Chicago, Milwaukee, Omaha, Portland, and Philadelphia.

History

College Possible was chartered as a nonprofit in September 2000, beginning operations in two Twin Cities public high schools the next spring. By the 2008-09 school year, the organization was serving students in seventeen high school schools across Minneapolis-Saint Paul and launched a second site in Milwaukee.^[2] In the current 2016-17 school year, College Possible serves more than 20,000 students at hundreds of high schools, colleges and universities across the country. In the spring of 2015, College Possible launched a sixth site in Chicago, Illinois.

Programming

A New York Times article from November 2005 quotes CEO Jim McCorkell as saying: "My starting idea was what if we replicated Kaplan for poor kids."^[3] To be eligible for College Possible's free services, students must come from low-income families and have a GPA of 2.0 or higher.^[4] High school students accepted into the program participate in after-school sessions over their junior and senior years, with time divided between test preparation, college applications, financial aid applications and preparing to transition to college.^[5] The program also has a service component, including an annual service event on Make a Difference Day.^[6]

College students receive guidance in finding and accessing campus resources, renewing the FAFSA, locating internships, maintaining a healthy balance between homework and social obligations, as well as when transferring schools.^[7]

Evaluation

College Possible is a 501(c)3 organization that has received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator for financial management and a three-star rating for accountability and transparency.^[8]

A 2011 Harvard study determined that Admission Possible more than doubles the chances a low-income student will enroll in a four-year institution.^[9] A later

A 2013 Harvard study found College Possible to have a significant positive impact on four-year college enrollment, though it had no statistically significant effect on ACT scores.^[10]

Wilder Research, an arm of the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, performed an evaluation of Admission Possible in 2006, substantiating its claim that 91% of the organization's students enrolled in college, and that it compared favorably to similar programs.^[11]

The Charities Review Council deems that it "meets all standards".^[12]

Recognition

McCorkell was named an Ashoka Fellow, a recognition for social entrepreneurship, in 2006.^[13] The organization has been recognized with awards from the Financial Times and Citi,^[14] the National Association for College Admission Counseling,^[15] College Board,^[16] and the National College Access Network.^[17]

In June 2009, President Barack Obama mentioned the organization in a speech on social entrepreneurship saying: "Admission Possible operates in just two states now. So imagine if it were 10 or 20 or 50."^[18]

In February 2014, College Possible was invited to be part of a White House summit on college opportunity.^[19]

References

External links

• College Possible
• Corporation for National and Community Service
• AmeriCorps