Newsletter: May 1, 2024
College Cohort News…
May 1, 2024
Mychal Wynn
Happy Spring and Congratulations Class of 2024!!! Today is College Decision Day. We are excited to share in the joy of our students who have already finalized their enrollment decisions at such schools as Benedict College, Caltech, College of Charleston, Duke, Francis Marion, Hampton, Morehouse College, St. Petersburg College, USC – Columbia, Wake Tech, and Winthrop.
Drum roll please! On Saturday, May 11, 2024, we will announce the college enrollment decisions of all of our students during our High School Class of 2024 Senior Recognition and final cohort meeting of the 2023-24 school year. You and your family, teachers, counselors, coaches, friends, and neighbors are invited to join us.
Our Speaker
University of Chicago senior, Sydney Soskin, a member of our Pinellas County Schools Cohort and 2020 graduate of the St. Petersburg High School IB Program will share words of inspiration for our graduates.
Date: Saturday, May 11, 2024
Time: 10:00 am – Noon
We will have comments by Dr. Laura Hickson, Superintendent of Schools in Florence School District 3 (SC) and Dr. Lewis Brinson, Minority Achievement Officer, Pinellas County Schools (FL). Following the meeting, attendees will receive a link to download the 2024 Senior Recognition Souvenir Program.
Seniors Have Crossed the Finish Line
Attention Seniors:Saturday, May 4, 2024, at 11:59 pm is the deadline to submit your graduation packet and photo. It takes less than 20 minutes to complete the packet. Contact our office (678) 395-5825 or email any questions to cpc@collegeplanningcohort.com.
Emerging Middle School Leaders
Our Emerging Middle School Leaders will be presenting their collaborative project and sharing lessons learned through their multi-grade and multi-state community service collaboration.
We very much appreciate Peyton Wilson (George Washington University), the college adviser for our Emerging Middle School Leaders.
Congratulations
Peyton Wilson, a George Washington University graduate, who graciously served as the college adviser for our Emerging Middle School Leaders, has been accepted to the University of Chicago Graduate School where she will pursue an Advanced Masters Degree in Social Sector Leadership and Non-Profit Management. Peyton is a graduate of the Marietta High School IB Program (GA) and recipient of the Posse Academic Leadership Scholarship.
Anna, a high school junior from our Pinellas County Schools Cohort was selected for the University of Chicago Contagion: Infectious Agents & Diseases Summer Session. She was also accepted to the Infectious Disease and Immunology Gator WISE Program.
Anna has participated in our program since the 8th grade, has served on our youth leadership board, and is a founding member of the St. Petersburg High School College Cohort Club.
Josiah, a high school junior from our Pinellas County Schools Cohort was selected as a QuestBridge College Prep Scholar. Josiah is one of 3,911 students selected from an applicant pool of over 16,000 students.
Josiah who has participated in our program since the 8th grade was also accepted into the Northeastern University Accelerate Pre-College Experiential Entrepreneurship Program.
Jocelyne, a high school junior from our Pinellas County Schools Cohort will be attending the Jack Kent Cooke Senior Summit and participating in the University of Connecticut Digital Animation and Motion Graphics Program.
Jocelyne has participated in our program since she was a rising 6th grader and has been an active contributor and leader in our program for six years.
Arshia, a high school junior from our Pinellas County Schools Cohort was selected to join the 2024 MIT MITES Semester (previously named MOSTEC) program. Arshia was selected from a competitive pool of nearly 4,100 applicants from all over the world. The 2024 MITES Semester cohort will bring together individuals who represent a diversity of cultures, interests, identities, strengths, experiences, and geographic areas.
Arshia has participated in our program since the 8th grade and is a contributor to our ACT Prep and Study Skills Project.
Sanderlin Center Presentation
On Saturday, May 4, 2024 from 10:00 am – Noon, we will be making an in-person presentation in St. Petersburg, Florida at the James B. Sanderlin Neighborhood Family Center. We will be providing a comprehensive presentation to parents and students regarding the impact of making strong transitions into middle school and high school and the profound influence these critical transition points can have on shaping a student’s future college and career opportunities. This promises to be an inspiring and informative session as we share how our middle school students developed 7-year plans that resulted in school success throughout middle school and high school; and multiple full scholarship opportunities when they applied to college. We will also profile some of our current Pinellas County Schools high school juniors, who joined our program as rising middle school students, and the scholarship, leadership, and community service profiles they have developed as a result of setting specific goals and pursuing intentional college-bound strategies.
If you have any friends or relatives in the St. Petersburg, Florida area, tell them to join us to be inspired and informed.
Sign Up Now…
We have finalized the dates for our all-virtual curriculum-based summer enrichment and college planning boot camps (including free materials) for students in grades 6 – 12.
June 3 – 6 | 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Grades 6 – 8: Students will receive strategies for becoming successful learners as they explore opportunities to lead, serve, and develop their gifts and talents. Students will be introduced to the concept of “backwards mapping” by beginning with their college and career aspirations and working backwards in taking the right classes, earning the right grades, and becoming the type of student in a manner that is “aligned” with their future aspirations.
June 10 – 13 | 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Grades 9 – 11: The reason that students in our program are awarded full college scholarships at nearly 25 times the national average are the strategies that we guide students in developing. Through the boot camp, high school students will be guided in developing holistic strategies across our 3 pillars of scholarship, leadership, and service consistent with colleges’ holistic admissions practices.
Rising Seniors: Seniors will develop college and scholarship application strategies based on each student’s college/career aspirations; body of work; and family’s financial need. Students will be guided through such decision making as whether or not to submit test scores; whether to apply Early Decision or Early Action; and choosing the Common Application essay prompt providing the best context for the “package” they will be presenting to their colleges.
Choose Your Registration (Space is Limited):
All Others: Middle School Registration | High School Registration
We Have a New Project
We are excited to be working with the California Community Colleges System to support their HBCU Guaranteed Transfer Agreement.
While our College Planning System has guided many students into full HBCU scholarships, we are developing a book specifically for HBCUs, profiling the history, and providing step-by-step guidance in identifying scholarships and internships; schools that best match to majors and careers; and that will lead to a richly rewarding career and a debt-free HBCU experience.
This is the most comprehensive text available for high school students, community college students, and students currently attending HBCUs. The strategies are proven and the book is filled with examples of how to develop the “body of work” that will land the biggest scholarships, best internships, and even graduate school fellowships.
Fly-in Programs
We encourage our high school juniors to continue applying to fly-in programs. If you are invited to a program, not only will you receive an all-expenses paid visit to a great college, but you will build a relationship with the school. Consequently, a fly-in invitation significantly increases your chances for being offered admission.
Attention Cohort Students
All online classrooms will close at midnight, Friday, May 31, 2024. Please complete your My Plan documents and finalize your year-end assessments. We have so very much enjoyed working with all of our students in California, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
We appreciate our college interns from The George Washington University and The University of Chicago.
We have not made a decision as to whether we will continue our college planing cohort program during the 2024-25 school year or if we will only be available to work with students 1-on-1. Look for an announcement during the summer.
What We Are Planning…
ACT Intensive Summer Sessions
We are planning 4-5 day ACT Intensive Sessions this summer, with each session focused on a specific ACT subject area. Each session will address the following 5 components:
- What you are expected to know on the ACT
- The foundational skills required to do well on each ACT section
- Learning and study strategies consistent with your learning style
- Developing a Study Cycle consistent with your grit, mindset, and temperament
- Daily pre- and post-testing
Mark Your Calendar for our Final Cohort Meeting:
May 11, 2024
Monthly meetings are restricted to students registered in our program and their parents.
