Category Archives: College Readiness

Ivy Plus College Night shows students they can get accepted into a top college

Madison High School senior Jamie Russell has his heart set on attending the University of Texas or Texas A&M University, but he came to Ivy Plus College Night Monday anyway to weigh his options and learn about the nation’s top colleges.

“My counselor told me this would be a good chance to learn about top colleges and see what opportunities they have for students in higher education,” said Russell, who is currently ranked No. 7 in his senior class. “I’m getting good advice on financial aid and the (college) application process.”

Hundreds of high school students from across the district attended Ivy Plus College Night at Reagan HS to get tips on how to increase their chances of getting accepted into a top tier college such as Yale, Harvard, Rice, and Duke. All of the colleges represented at the event are ranked among the top 100 by U.S. News & World Report.

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‘Ivy Plus’ College Night brings nation’s top colleges to HISD

Houston ISD high school students will meet with admissions representatives from colleges and universities ranked among the top 100 by U.S. News & World Report at the district’s Ivy Plus College Night on Monday, Oct. 6.

High school juniors and seniors are strongly encouraged to attend the event, which is scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. at Reagan High School, 413 E. 13th Street. Ivy Plus College Night includes a college expo featuring various top tier universities such as Yale, Harvard, Rice, and Duke.

Students and their families will have the opportunity to participate in college admissions workshops to learn about scholarships and financial aid resources and how to increase a student’s chances of getting accepted into these colleges. Continue reading →

College Readiness Month helps students plan early for college

The Houston Independent School District will recognize October as College Readiness Month by offering college fairs, workshops, and information sessions to students as they prepare to take College Board exams and apply for college and financial aid.

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“Students can find themselves running out of time to meet deadlines if they wait until November or later to begin the college admissions process,” said HISD College Readiness Assistant Superintendent Rick Cruz. “Applying to colleges and visiting college campuses early helps ensure that our students don’t miss out on a number of valuable opportunities that may lead to a college acceptance or scholarship offer.”

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Texas College Night encourages students to find the right fit for higher education

More than 1,000 HISD high school students met with admissions representatives from a variety of colleges and universities Tuesday at Texas College Night at the University of Houston.

Students learned about college admissions requirements, academic programs, and financial aid and scholarship opportunities at Texas’ top colleges and universities such as UH, the University of Texas, Texas A&M University, and Sam Houston State University.

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Recent grads learn ‘It’s Not Too Late’ to apply for fall HCC classes

Westbury High School graduate Darling Romero’s busy work schedule kept her from registering for fall classes earlier this summer at a local community college.

“The summer went by fast, and I got caught up in work,” Romero said. “The next thing I knew, it was almost time for the (enrollment) deadline.”

The HISD College Readiness team helped students like Romero make the time to register for fall classes during the department’s “It’s Not Too Late” Application Day last week at Houston Community College-Southwest.  A second event was held at HCC-Southeast.

The event, in collaboration with HCC, is part of a new initiative to help 2014 high school graduates who have not enrolled in college apply for community college classes and financial aid. Continue reading →

Emerge students meet mentors at college send-off banquet

Emerge – HISD scholars were congratulated on their success and encouraged to continue to work hard during a college send-off banquet last week. The Emerge fellows, who will begin college this fall at schools such as Stanford, Yale, MIT, Tufts and other top-tier colleges celebrated their achievements and met the mentors who will guide them through the next phase of their education.

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During their years in high school, Emerge students keep in close contact with program managers who guide them through the process of qualifying for and applying to well-known universities. Yet the mentoring doesn’t end after students are accepted into college and put away their high school cap and gown. Students are assigned mentors — volunteers from the community — who help them navigate the college experience through their first year and beyond. Continue reading →

First-gen student gearing up for the road less traveled

Karen Banda

The route of a minority, low-income, first-generation student is filled with road-blocks and a mix of emotions: anxiety, fear, confusion, happiness, and sadness. I know because I am a first-gen student. I’m anxious to see what’s beyond my hometown; to see the things that I can accomplish. But I am also scared that I will not make it or that I will not do as well as I have these past few years in high school.

This fall, I will embark on the road less traveled by someone with my background – I will leave my home and family to achieve my “impossible dream.”
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Chávez HS grad ‘paying it forward’ with EMERGE Class of 2014

As a member of HISD’s inaugural EMERGE class in 2012, Chavez HS alumna and Tufts University sophomore Phuong Ta (far left, front row) helped coordinate the top-tier university tours for this year’s EMERGE students.

When I graduated from Chávez High School two years ago, I was the “first” in many ways—the first one in my immediate family to go to a four-year college (as my family had only moved to the United States two years before that), one of the first students from Chávez to attend a private institution outside of Texas, and one of the first students to graduate from the pilot cohort of the EMERGE program. Along with the immense sense of pride and joy I felt upon my acceptance to Tufts University, I was also under the stressful realization that it was my responsibility to be successful, not just for my family and myself, but also for my community.

Being a first-generation college student was far more challenging than I prepared myself for. Continue reading →