Strive for College Joins with College Board and CommonApp to Provide Virtual Mentoring to Millions of Underserved College Hopefuls
New collaboration will integrate UStrive into student offerings to better support underserved high school students, as the pandemic drives unprecedented interest in virtual mentoring
MILPITAS, Calif., Oct. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Strive for College today announced a new collaboration with the College Board and Common App to support millions of low-income high schoolers as they face an unprecedented college admissions cycle. Any senior who has taken the SAT or a PSAT-related assessment or participated in Advanced Placement (AP) will be eligible to be connected with a virtual mentor who can help them navigate the entire college search, admissions, and financial aid journey.
"Students need unique support during this challenging time and Strive plays a vital role in serving students across the country with personalized mentoring," said Steve Bumbaugh, the College Board Senior Vice President for College and Career Access.
Strive for College helps students get to college, pay for it, complete their degree, and achieve living wage jobs through one-to-one mentoring. The secure platform has reached over 1.1 million students total, and about 250,000 low-income students opted in for a mentor through Common App in 2019 alone. In the midst of the pandemic, Strive has seen a massive increase in demand: In May 2020, 19x more students picked a mentor than in May 2019.
"Mentorship can play a critical role in helping aspiring college students navigate the admissions and enrollment experience," said Jenny Rickard, CEO of Common App. "Strive's efforts to build deeper connections between students and working adults will be more important than ever as colleges and families navigate the recovery from the pandemic."
Based on insights from Strive's work with thousands of students during the spring and summer, Strive and the College Board have created guides that address some of the most common questions students have been asking, such as how the pandemic is affecting their ability to take college entrance exams and their eligibility for college financial aid. The guides help students and their mentors find answers specific to each student's unique situations and navigate COVID-related disruptions.
"The expertise, experience, and strong relationships that Common App and College Board have with students, parents, and advisors is invaluable as Strive is scaling up to meet the unprecedented need students have right now," said Strive CEO and Founder, Michael Carter.
For more information, please visit: https://striveforcollege.org/
About Strive for College
Strive for College has reached over 1.1 million students with the goal of getting them to enroll in college, graduate, and achieve living wage jobs. Our all-virtual platform, UStrive, matches students with trained volunteer mentors and allows them to securely communicate, collaborate, access resources and share guidance as they navigate the path to and through higher education. 97% of Strive students go on to college and take on little or no debt for tuition as a result of scholarships or financial aid that their mentors help them secure.
SOURCE Strive for College
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