Strive for College

Vital Stats

Atherton, CA

  • people helped265
  • People Doing It300

The Problem

Strive for College is focused on alleviating the tremendous inequity in access to higher education. A college education has never been more important, and yet our system is failing our students. In fact, this generation is graduating from college at a lower rate than their parents, making it the first generation in our country's history that will be less well educated than the previous one. The implications of this, in simply economic terms, are staggering. Studies have shown that a mere 1 percent increase in the college attainment rate in the 51 largest cities in our nation would yield a "talent dividend" of $124 billion per year. The impact on individuals is similarly distressing: over the course of a 40-year career, a college graduate stands to make nearly $1 million more than someone with only a high school degree - an income gap that has tripled since 1980. And yet, the low-income students who stand to benefit the most from postsecondary education have the least access to it. Low-income families are 32% less likely to send their children to college than families with higher incomes. By the time they are 26, a high-income student is five times more likely to have earned a bachelor's degree than their low-income peer. According to Congress, in 2010, 400,000 low-income high school students graduated college ready, but never enrolled. Hundreds of thousands more "undermatch" going to schools that are not the best fit for them and at which they don't have the best chance to be successful. Sadly, even the highest achieving low-income students are not given the opportunity to explore their fullest potential: the highest scoring students from wealthy families are more than two times as likely to go to college as the highest scoring low-income students, and low-income high school students who received A's on achievement tests enroll in college at the same rate as high-income students who receive D's. As a result, our nation's college system is a picture of wild inequality. At the top 146 colleges, only 3% of students are from the bottom income quartile, and only 7% are from the second-to-lowest quartile. The truth is that our nation's colleges, the greatest tool for social and economic mobility, leave behind even the best students from low-income groups. There are many factors that contribute to these disparities, but Strive is focused on ameliorating the information and guidance gaps. College counseling services in our public schools are failing in their duty to far too many students. While the American School Counselors Association recommends a 250:1 student-to-counselor ratio, nationwide it is at 450:1. In a system stretched to the breaking point, it is no surprise that students feel underserved. Surveys have shown that nearly one-third (29%) of students felt their counselor did a poor job of explaining and helping them with the application process, 33% felt their counselor did a poor job helping them navigate financial aid and other scholarship options, and 35% said that their counselor did a poor job helping them decide what school was right for them. These numbers are all demonstrative of a serious problem. None, however, speaks to Strive’s necessity more than the fact that in the same survey, an overwhelming 72% of students said that simply “having the opportunity to talk with advisors who know about the different college and job-training options” would be extremely helpful.

Plan of Action

The inspiration for Strive to College came when I transferred from a private to a public school for my junior year of high school. I noticed that many of my friends were academically qualified to attend four-year universities, but lacked the guidance and resources to navigate the admissions process. Our school had nearly 1,000 students for every guidance counselor, so there was little help for far too many students. As I was applying to college, I helped a few of my friends who were the first in their families to go to college navigate the process. They not only got accepted into great schools, but each of them was able to secure tremendous financial aid packages that made it possible for them to attend. I was tremendously fortunate to be accepted to Washington University in St Louis on a full scholarship as an Annika Rodriguez Scholar. I recognized that I had been given a tremendous gift and thought that as scholarship recipients, we were obligated to pay that gift forward. So, in the fall of my freshman year in 2006, I created the first Strive for College Chapter. Partnering with Eskridge High School in Wellston, Missouri, a school with a high percentage of low-income students and a guidance counselor who also served as the principal and athletic director, we helped Eskridge students research schools, write essays and navigate financial aid paperwork. The results were remarkable. Whereas 1 out of 30 graduating seniors at Eskridge enrolled in college the year before we started, we helped 24 out of 27 graduating seniors in our first cohort enroll in four-year colleges and universities. Since then, Strive mentors across the country have helped over 250 low-income high school students enroll in college. This year, over 300 college students at 12 colleges across the country will work with as many high school. Some of Strive's most exciting impact is below: Increased College Attendance Rates • In 2011, 100% of Strive mentees were accepted to and enrolled in college, with nearly 60% of them enrolling in a four-year college or university. • In 2011, at our two largest Chapters, Strive students enrolled in four- year colleges at a 25% higher rate than their peers. • In 2011, at those same Chapters, Strive increased overall college-going rates (four-year and two-year) by 13%. • Strive guided 24 out of 27 students in our inaugural chapter into college at a high school where only 1 out of 30 attended college the year before Bridging the Information Gap • 100% of participating high school students would recommend Strive to others • 88% are more comfortable in choosing the right college because of Strive • 96% reported receiving useful information about college from their mentor Developing Committed Leaders • The Strive Chapter Director at San Jose State University won the university’s Provost Award in 2011 for his work with Strive. • Our UNC Chapter Director won the Truman Scholarship in 2010. • In 2011, Strive's NYU Chapter Director was awarded the President's Service Award for bringing Strive to her campus. In recognition of its past success and potential for future impact, Strive was recently awarded the prestigious Echoing Green Fellowship, designed to support of the world’s best emerging social entrepreneurs in order to solve the world’s most pressing issues. 2,854 entrepreneurs from 100 countries applied this year, and Strive was one of only 15 ventures selected to be 2011 Fellows.
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Education Inequalities

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