As Long Island Scholars gears up for its May 11 launch, and we launch our first blog post here, we feel all the same things most kids and their families feel when it comes time to think about life after high school: daunted, excited, a bit overwhelmed.
So I'm going to follow the same advice I give students, and plunge right in...
My partner and I started Long Island Scholars to help public high school kids from modest backgrounds access the best education and career training available in our increasingly complex, competitive world.
We've been inspired by the potential we see in my eighth-grade son's classmates in our home district of Glen Cove, NY, and by high school and college kids I've met from all over the Island throughout my career as an educator. We've also been struck by the disparity in resource access and distribution here (hardly unique to Long Island, as the ongoing college admissions scandal shows).
Starting locally here in Glen Cove, we will kick off with a College Essay Workshop on May 11, 11 am - 1 pm, organized in partnership with the Yale Day of Service. There, public school juniors (from any district) who have registered in advance will have the chance to work with caring, dedicated writing teachers and selective college alumni volunteers to brainstorm and create a first draft of their Common App essay. Kids who attend will have the advantage of having started their applications (and thinking about their futures) early, with the help of experts.
Through the end of the 2019-2020 college admissions cycle, we'll be producing follow-up application and financial aid workshops in Glen Cove and other selected towns on the Island. Please subscribe to our mailing list for updates.
We'll also continue develop our website as a stand-alone, go-to source of the best available low- or no-cost college and career search tools, links, research, and expert advice.
Speaking of which, here's a helpful WBUR radio segment on the advantages of haggling over financial aid, which references the excellent online search tool Edmit (link also available on our Resources page).
More soon!