HOW TO SUPPORT STUDENTS BETWEEN THE END OF SCHOOL AND THE START OF POSTSECONDARY OPTIONS

Supporting students between graduation and the start of postsecondary opportunities means keeping in touch to make sure that students complete all the stages necessary to actually begin college or other postsecondary training, or enter the workforce. It also includes helping students navigate systems they may find challenging, particularly for those who are first-generation college students, immigrants, or others whose families are less well equipped to guide them in this experience.

Nationally, between 10% and 20% of all students who accept admission to four-year colleges fall away in the summer following graduation; this percentage is significantly higher — perhaps as much as 1/3 — for poor, minority, and immigrant students whose parents did not attend college. Students face a number of financial and administrative hurdles to navigate during the summer months; without effective family support, these can seem insurmountable. Hurdles include providing transcripts, immunization records, and supplementary FAFSA documentation; navigating student loan offers; and registering for (and attending) orientation.

~ Most students, even those receiving scholarships and other financial aid, will have some unmet gap to make up to cover college costs; even a few hundred dollars can seem prohibitive.

~ A sense of family responsibility may discourage students from pursuing intended plans, particularly if their high school earnings were important to the family budget, or if the family relied on them for childcare or interpretation services.

~ Transportation to campus (for example, for mid-summer orientation) may be an issue.

~ Students who relied heavily on high school staff for moral support and encouragement may find their confidence and motivation waning when they are on their own, or they may expect that “someone” is taking care of financial and administrative matters when this is not the case.

~ Students with alternate plans (e.g., entering the workforce) may similarly find that getting a job that pays a living wage is not as easy as they anticipated; they may need help navigating the world of online applications and interviewing.