For Mentees
Mentee applications are now closed. Prospective mentees will find out about their acceptance by Monday, May 27th.
1. Why do I need this support?
Students with financial resources currently spend thousands of dollars to hire consultants for help with the college admissions process. Why? Insider knowledge is invaluable in successfully navigating the college admissions process, especially for elite universities. Students from low-income backgrounds are at a severe disadvantage in gaining college admissions, with only an 8% college graduation rate by age 24. According to the Jack Kent Cooke foundation, every year 500,000 deserving, high achieving, first-generation college students don’t matriculate into a four-year college or university. Furthermore, high schools are facing increasing budget cuts that place additional burdens on guidance counselors. In California, only one guidance counselor is available for every 1,000 students according to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Phoenix Scholars is a special program that recruits elite university students to serve as mentors and use all the information they garnered in the college admissions process to help you draft winning personal statements, craft a resume with impact, and create a strong application for the nation’s most prestigious scholarships. As first-generation, low-income students, our mentors personally understand the rigors and guidance needed to soar through the college admissions process.
2. What does the program provide?
The Phoenix Scholars provides robust mentorship so that you not only gain acceptance to universities, but also thrive during your college career and assist students from similar backgrounds in your community. Our mentors have been trained by former college admissions officers and current college consultants to help you at every step of the college admissions process: building a solid college list, writing your personal statements, applying for financial aid and scholarships, and staying motivated. In addition to personal mentorship, we equip you with our College Guide, Scholarship Database, and Application Deadline Calendar.
3. Am I eligible?
- High School Senior by the Fall (when you apply to the Phoenix Scholars in the Spring, you MUST be a current Junior)
- Maintain at least a 3.0 GPA
- Fill out the Phoenix Scholar application and answer the questions entirely (we will NOT accept one or two sentences for the short answer questions)
- If you are accepted to the program, then you are expected to complete all of the assignments. Failure to do so will result in warnings. Three warnings will result in an automatic removal from the program.
4. When is the Application Due?
Mentee applications are now closed. Prospective mentees will find out about their acceptance by Monday, May 27th.
5. What does the program look for in applicants?
We are looking for students who have the talent, the drive, and the ambition to attend college. If you are willing to work hard and put in the effort with the help of our mentors, then you should apply to our program.
6. What has the program accomplished so far?
Our mentors have not only garnered acceptances at the nation’s best colleges and universities and won every major national scholarship, but they have also been trained by a former Stanford admissions officer and a current high school counselor/college consultant. In our first year, all 93 of our scholars were accepted into four-year universities, including Harvard, Brown, Stanford, Northwestern, Berkeley, and UCLA. In our second year, our program has expanded to 220 scholars who are paired with over 100 Stanford mentors.
Testimonials
Hardship has made me a stronger, more determined person who is willing to strive to the highest goal. Even if I am considered “inferior” to certain people, it makes me more determined to fight harder and succeed.
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