Destination: College Virtual Bilingual Event on March 14 Helps Students Overcome Key College Accessibility Barriers

USA - English

• Latin America - español

Students and Their Families Can Chat Live with College Admission Advisers at www.CollegeWeekLive.com

NEW YORK, March 6, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The College Board, a leading education not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity, and CollegeWeekLive, a leading provider of virtual college admission events, invite Hispanic high school students and their families to the second in a series of five free bilingual online college guidance events called Destination: College (Destino Universidad) on Thursday, March 14, between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern time.

As spring arrives, seniors will be making decisions based on college acceptance and award letters, and juniors should be practicing for college admission tests. Sessions at the event are designed to help families understand options for students who will face financial aid challenges or are considering applying to college now. Families will also gain a better understanding of how to optimize their PSAT/NMSQT® and SAT® experience to find the right college match and win scholarships. There will also be a presentation on optimal ways to research and win scholarships.

Destination: College is a collaborative effort among universities, colleges, school districts, community-based organizations and media outlets to provide Hispanic families with college planning resources that promote a college-going culture. As a leading College Board media partner, Univision will be creating awareness of this series through various promotional channels tied to its education campaign Es el momento.

These online admission events feature virtual booths for a broad range of colleges and offer real-time instant messaging between admission counselors and students and their parents. The events also provide live video presentations with interactive Q&A designed to help students prepare, pay for and successfully complete college.

More than 3,000 attendees logged into the first virtual college guidance event in the Destino Universidad series on Tuesday, February 26. The event reached a largely Hispanic audience, with only 29 percent of all attendees self-identifying as white or Caucasian. Students from all 50 states logged in to CollegeWeekLive for Destino Universidad, with 27 percent hailing from California, Texas and Florida, reflecting on how valuable these free online events are to students who might not otherwise have the means to travel by car or plane to visit prospective higher education institutions.

The second event in the series will offer presentations in both Spanish and English. The complete agenda includes:

All Times Eastern

Chats with admission experts and students will be available throughout the event.

A wide range of colleges will be participating from across the United States, with admission advisers standing by, ready to chat with Hispanic students and their parents who log in. The event also features a directory of scholarships available from participating colleges and the College Board's BigFuture™ virtual booth features helpful documents such as the Common Application and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Additional dates in the Destino Universidad series include Tuesday, April 16, 2013, Thursday, May 2, 2013, and Wednesday, June 12, 2013. If you would like to register for free for Destino Universidad, please visit CollegeWeekLive. If you have questions, please contact [email protected]. Colleges interested in participating should contact [email protected] or 617-938-6023.

ABOUT THE COLLEGE BOARD

The College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of over 6,000 of the world's leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education. Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college success — including the SAT® and the Advanced Placement Program®. The organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators and schools. For further information, visit www.collegeboard.org.

ABOUT COLLEGEWEEKLIVE

CollegeWeekLive is the leading channel where students and colleges meet online. More than 1,200,000 students from 192 countries rely on CollegeWeekLive to help navigate college admissions. This live channel provides unprecedented access to expert presentations and enables students to have unscripted conversations with hundreds of colleges.

Students turn to CollegeWeekLive to gain insights from current students, admission representatives, and leading experts, whether they are narrowing their choice of schools or making post-admission decisions. Through live text and video chats, students, parents, and counselors engage directly with colleges at every stage of the enrollment process with CollegeWeekLive.

SOURCE The College Board