College Readiness Panel Discussion Enlightens

“I just didn’t know what I didn’t know,” exclaimed several panelists participating in Church Farm School’s program on “College Readiness for Underserved Students.” This was the focus of its recent networking breakfast and panel discussion held Thursday, April 9 on its Exton campus for members of its Leadership Council and other guests from neighboring Chester County and Main Line businesses. Church Farm School’s mission is to provide a diverse group of young men in grades 8-12 with a college preparatory education at a financially attainable cost. Often, their education is wholly subsidized by the school.

Panelists included Kwasi Gyambibi ‘96, the coordinator for the Center for Academic Programs/Student Support Services on the Stamford campus of the University of Connecticut; Mary Klein, a retired school counselor who currently serves on the Board of Directors for Schools That Can; and Tiffany Scott, the school’s Director of College Guidance who formerly served as an admissions officer at the University of Delaware and as the McNair Scholars Program Coordinator there. The discussion was moderated by Doug Magee, a history teacher at Church Farm School who was recently named a National Association of Independent School’s 2014-15 Teacher of the Future.

Panelists discussed the challenges high school students face when applying and then attending college. In particular, they focused on barriers for first generation and low-income students, such as:

Each panelist had a story to tell about either themselves or a student who had a memorable impact on them. Klein spoke of a former student who endeavored to get to Temple University, working and studying over the summer to attain enough money and credits to transfer from a Penn State satellite campus. When she ended up in Rome through a Temple academic program and realized her housing for the trip was in jeopardy due to assumptions made about financing this responsibility, she made the hard choice to leave Italy instead of taking on more college loans to pay for a place to stay. Gyambibi said that while Church Farm School prepared him well academically for college, he didn’t have a good mentor on his college campus to guide him when he struggled; noting that he wasn’t even aware that withdrawing from a class he was doing poorly in was an option. Scott talked about a student who wisely participated in work-study in the financial aid office, ensuring that she was always fully aware of her loan status.

While financial savvy and the often time-consuming and cumbersome process of applying for aid was discussed at length, a significant focus was placed on acclimation, especially for students from lower-income neighborhoods. Gyambibi, who coordinates a 6-week intensive summer program for undergraduates entering college, says more and more schools are adopting this “boot camp” approach so that incoming freshman learn positive academic and social habits before the first day of college. The panel concluded that identifying mentors during not only the college admission process but especially throughout the college years leads to a greater chance of success for students.

All 40 Church Farm School seniors have been accepted to four-year colleges and universities, with nearly $2 million in scholarships and grants up for grabs and three full rides awarded, including one to Princeton University. Learn more about the school, its mission and its college guidance program at www.gocfs.net.