A leading college counseling organization and an initiative started by former First Lady Michelle Obama have teamed up to form an all-new partnership focused on easing the stresses experienced by high school students and their families during the college admissions process.
The 5-year partnership between Reach Higher and Collegewise, the largest private college counseling organization in the country, is designed to help underserved groups and first-generation college students in particular, access the needed resources to pursue higher education.
Reach Higher’s goal is to inspire students from all backgrounds to pursue an education beyond high school by attending a four-year college, a community college or professional training program.
The organization’s mission is in alignment with what Collegewise envisions for the world, said Joel Block, CEO and managing partner for Collegewise. In the 19 years since its inception, Collegewise’s staff have assisted some 10,000 students by advising them on entry testing, applying to college and lastly, selecting an institution to attend.
The two organizations have also partnered on The 2018-19 Guide to Making Your Common App a Lot Less Common, a resource for students and school counselors for creating the best admission applications.
“We are honored to help advance Mrs. Obama’s vision by empowering our youth through access to quality information, starting with the release of our guide to the Common Application, which will show students how to present their authentic selves to colleges,” Block said.
The guide is user-friendly and implies that using the Common App (a website that streamlines the college application process) and applying to college in general is about the student and is not about mechanics, said Eric Waldo, Reach Higher’s executive director.
