Early College Awareness is a program to help inform middle school students and their parents about the preparation required for a college education. Many families from low-income and minority backgrounds lack knowledge about the college process – namely, the required high school course preparation, higher education costs & financial aid options, ACT and SAT testing requirements, etc. The purpose of ECA is to provide these families with useful and critical information far in advance so they and their child can prepare for a college education.
Early College Awareness has been successfully launched in a number of cities around the U.S., and we started it here in Minneapolis-St. Paul in 2005. The format consists of students and their parents being invited to a local inner city middle school on a Saturday morning. The schedule includes: presentations from former students about the college experience; a discussion on the cost of college and finance aid options available; a ‘checklist’ of activities – by year – to help students and their parents to prepare for college. Finally, the day is highlighted by a testimonial from a local, well-known role model.
If you are interested in helping out with Early College Awareness in Minneapolis-St. Paul or especially in greater Minnesota, please contact The Harvard Club of Minnesota using the Contact tab to the left. Thank you!