Follow the Data Podcast

85. Peer-to-Peer College Advising – Does It Work?

Episode Summary

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed many inequities– and for high-achieving, lower-income high school seniors, the cost of higher education may make enrolling in college even more challenging. The National College Attainment Network analysis of FAFSA data through August reports that 1000,000 fewer high school seniors completed financial aid applications for college admissions this year. One of our CollegePoint partners, Matriculate, trains college student Advising Fellows to help high-achieving, lower-income high school students identify colleges that are a good fit, complete resumes, recommendations, and application forms, apply for financial aid, compare aid packages, and prepare academically, socially, and emotionally to succeed in college. On this episode, Jhenielle Reynolds, who works on the education team at Bloomberg Philanthropies, sits down with Mikayla Deckard, Matriculate’s Head Virtual Advising Fellow, and a student at Indiana University - Bloomington, and Freddy Rodriguez, a high school student currently applying to college with the help of CollegePoint. Mikayla and Freddy join the podcast to tell us about how they’re working together to navigate the uncertainties of applying to college during a pandemic and share advice for other students in the college admissions process.