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"I met Phat at a financial aid workshop that some of our programs at the high school had put together. Slumped in his chair, he seemed disinterested. His sweatshirt hood shadowed his face and an Ipod earbud hung out of one ear. Whether it was high school "cool" theatrics or a genuine indifference, I was unsure, but I knew he must have cared about college to make it to the event. By the close of the night, I had mostly spoken to his mother, a Vietnamese immigrant, while we filled out his FAFSA worksheet. I said goodbye to Phat and told him to come see me in my office during school some time, so we could talk about applying to colleges. The very next day, to my surprise, he came to my office. We talked about private and public schools and all the parts of an application. When we got to the essay piece, it produced an ennui similar to what I had witnessed at our financial aid night. The essay is your chance to be creative, I explained. You can detail a traumatic event in your life, or you can wax on about your love for skateboarding. It can be as light or as serious as you want it to be, as long as it is reflective of who you are and what you want them to know about you. Really? he asked. "

"Phat's essay on skateboarding was far beyond any of the others I had seen. It was lyrical, creative, intense, and an exploration of perseverance. He wrote about finding meaning in every day objects, because skateboarding taught him to see the ignorable structures in our lives as something new and exciting. Despite grades not quite reflective of his ability, Phat was selected as a Boston Public School Scholar at Wentworth Institute of Technology, which will provide him with an education that is practically free. He will study architecture or chemistry. There's no doubt it was Phat's hard work that earned him all his college acceptances and success, but I can't help but think my blurting of the word "skateboarding" right after "essay" triggered the passion that had been missing in his college process. As I finish this year, I realize there are very few students who are indifferent to their college processes, no matter what they'll have you believe. Phat, just as many others do, checks into my office several times a week armed with an excitement for his future that I will never forget. "
- Lillian O'Donnell, East Boston High School/Bunker Hill Community College

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"During the course of the year I have had the opportunity to work with a lot of very interesting and talented students, all of who have provided me with ample material to write about their successes. Instead of choosing just one student to talk about, I want to highlight several of the students and how through working with the College Advising Corps their futures were altered."

"Michael first came to me in September unsure of what type of college that he could attend and was considering just applying to several local Community Colleges. After meeting with him several times, we honed his interests and matched those with schools that fit his criteria (New England, medium sized schools, relatively affordable, band program) as well as including some reach schools. After numerous drafts of his college essay, some SAT prep work and lots of hard work on his part we sent out his applications before the winter break. I am proud to report he got accepted at all 5 of his colleges and now has the luxury of choosing the best fit for him both academically and financially."

"Claudia was another student who experienced similar success. She wanted to go to Western New England College (WNEC) or Boston University, but was not sure if she could get in. We met several times to find a strong list of schools for her to apply to, including both of her top choices. To enhance her application I suggested she attend the American International College Application Day at the High School and interview with the admissions staff. After practicing with me in the office, she did very well in the interview and they accepted her right then. Using this newfound confidence, she set up an interview with WNEC staff and had another great interview. She was accepted there as well and plans to attend in the fall."

"Jong Ho was one of my most exceptional students academically, having a perfect weighted GPA of 4.0 and scoring very, very highly on his SATs especially the math section. His interests were very much in computer science or engineering, but the schools he was applying to didnt have strong programs for what he wanted to study and he had no reach schools at all. We talked about broadening his horizons a bit and applying to a few more academically rigorous schools. He decided that he would apply to MIT, as well as UMASS Amherst and both WPI and RPI. He plans on attending UMASS in the fall, as they gave him a substantial financial aid package but he was glad that he aimed high and was accepted at several of the top engineering and science schools in the state."
- Nate Cleveland, Springfield High School of Science and Technology/American International College

"Brett was the first student who came into my office on his own accord; apparently my cohort of students had been talking about me. It was roughly ten minutes into the lunch period when I first saw him bouncing into the Guidance Office headed straight for my door. "Miss Wiseman?"he queried expectantly. "Yessssssssss." I welcomed him to a chair and he
began: "You know Ronin? Well, he told me that you've helped him out a lot, so I was wondering if you could help me get into college." I chuckled a bit at his request because students always came to me demanding the same result: Get me into college. Forget the past three years of work they had completed and the standardized tests for which they had studied. Their respective melodrama always led them to believe that I had the magic touch, the magical essay waiting for them, or the ability to sway an admissions decision."

"As we began to speak about his past few years at Drury High School, Brett explained to me that he just knew that his only route was a two-year institution since he had performed at an average level in his math classes and on the SAT. His transcript clearly showed that while he did struggle his freshman and sophomore years, his grades had improved tremendously since then and he certainly seemed willing to put in extra work. He was extremely weary of the college application process, being a first-generation student to a working class, single mother, but after speaking with him over the course of a few visits and completing the necessary applications for the nearby Community College, I began to discuss with him the possibility of looking at some four-year institutions. I explained to him the sliding scale used in admissions offices for state colleges such as nearby MCLA, by which he had lived for most of his life and had dreamed of attending, but he still didn't believe he would meet their standards or that he could ever craft an essay worthy of their eyes."

"As we reviewed his college preparatory course load and discussed his goal of becoming a psychologist, I realized that his fear was not of the application process, but instead it was of being rejected. It took some time and a personal anecdote about my journey to Tufts, but Brett soon realized that he would never know if he could reach his full potential unless he tried."

"Brett has since become a permanent figure in my office, coming to me for help in assuring that all his materials for MCLA are in order as he prepares to enter this coming fall. He has matured into a young man who believes in his abilities and understands what steps he will have to take in order to combat his self-proclaimed "math idiocy." Further, we have created a financial plan to ensure that bursar bills will not be in the forefront of his worries for the next four years. Although he will jokingly tell you that I got him into college, he knows that it is his own hard work that got him to where he is."
- Denise Wiseman at Drury High School/Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts