One of the core goals of our youth programs at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia is to help Philadelphia high school students from historically excluded communities navigate the college application process. Groups affected by violence, discrimination, or economic hardships often face numerous obstacles to academic achievement. Moreover, many of our students in the , the , the , and the will be the first in their families to attend college. Preparing for college can be an intimidating and overwhelming endeavor, even in families with adequate resources and minimal socioeconomic obstacles, and it is our goal to help demystify the process through a series of hands-on workshops.
Currently the fourth cohort of the Karabots Junior Fellows Program, who are now high school seniors, is immersed in the college application process. To help them, the has hosted college prep workshops for them and their families; these lessons will continue through the 2017-2018 school year. This month, we tackled two important topics over the course of two sessions. The first addressed financial aid, examining resources available to students to help pay for college. It also went into detail about how to fill out the , which determines a student's eligibility for need-based federal and state financial aid (beginning in 2017, the FAFSA is available beginning on October 1, three months sooner than it has traditionally). The second session was an in-depth look at the college application process, addressing what students and families need to know when filling out applications, including a walkthrough of the , a unified college application accepted by roughly 650 colleges and universities.
The old saying goes that it takes a village to raise a child. We are committed to serving as citizens in each of our students' success.