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Next Steps is
a pilot program for parents and high school juniors who are just starting
their college search process. During the two-hour workshop, they meet
students from a variety of colleges, college admissions officers and a
librarian who can offer research tips to help the students in their college
search.
In a
facilitated panel presentation, the college students answer questions from
the high school girls and offer their insights on:
-
the college application
process
-
what to do and what not to
do
-
what campus visits teach
you
-
what they would do
differently if they had it to do over again
-
the parts of college life
that are what they expected or different from what they anticipated
-
the
advantages/disadvantages of single sex/co-ed education
Parents
meet in separate room to learn about web and print resources on college
searches & financial aid in a discussion with the librarian. An admissions
officer from a local college talks to the parents about what kind of student
colleges are looking for, what a school like their own has to offer, the
value of single gender versus co-ed education.
During a
general discussion period and refreshments, the students get a chance to
talk with the admissions officer and the librarian, while parents get to
talk with the college students.
GOALS:
1. high school girls get the opportunity to learn from the
experiences of and
discuss college preparations with current
college students
2.
college students act as
mentors and role models to high school girls
3.
the program demystifies the
college search process and helps to alleviate the stress that many girls
feel about their academic futures
4.
girls are introduced to the
different types of colleges: small, large, private, public, urban, rural,
co-ed, single gender
5.
mothers/fathers learn about
college search resources
6.
everyone learns about Alice
Paul and Paulsdale
The Next Steps
program was successfully piloted in January 2004 at Paulsdale
with 15 parents and 20 girls from Burlington County and four college
freshmen representing Smith College, University of Delaware, The College of
New Jersey and Arcadia University. The parents spoke with representatives
from Rosemont College and a youth services librarian from the Mt. Laurel
Library.
If you have any
questions or need further information, please contact Dana Dabek-Milstein,
Director of Leadership Programs at the Alice Paul Institute at 856-231-1885.
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