Strategies

Available Benefits to Scholars & Families

Customized Action Plans To Suit Your Needs

Black & College Bound understands that supporting your students’ or clients’ college and career planning is no easy task – especially when you’re juggling other responsibilities. Our programs and services are designed to coach adolescents through this process to ensure that our youth are on the pathway to success.

Our seminars are FUN, engaging, team building activities designed to teach the importance of young people TAKING OWNERSHIP OF THEIR OWN LIFELONG SUCCESS. We teach participants to design their own plans, take the initiative to implement action steps, then hold adult stakeholders accountable for playing their suppotive roles.

When it comes to values required for college, career, and lifelong success we stress:

Preparation - taking initiative and ownership as the "drivers" of their success
Productivity - maximize school breaks to gain experience or serve the community
Professionalism - Social Media Taboos, Dress For Success, Workplace Etiquette
Prevent making poor instantaneous decisions with lifelong impacts
Proactivity - "Work Your Plan" without waiting on parents or school staff to do so
Positioning - determine what activities and behaviors will help you STAND OUT!

We specialize in urban youth culture! Working with urban youth, we fully recognize the brilliance and potential that can go astray without proper support or guidance. Our programs combine these lessons while targeting Youth Leadership Development and College & Career Readiness through:

ACT/SAT Test Prep Strategies

As a former Kaplan ACT/SAT/GMAT Test Prep Instructor and Urban League ACT Specialist Coach, we have coached hundreds of teens through improving their scores using our strategies. Teens should take this exam as early and often as needed to achieve the scores that will attract scholarships and tuition waivers.

Customized College Planning Schedule

Know what your student should accomplish during the "Countdown to College." We create a personalized action plan based on activities completed or needed in the areas of GPA Management, College Interactions, Networking with Professionals of Interest, College Fairs/Tour Participation, Community Service, Internships, and Leadership Experience.

College & Career Explorations

Determining career fields of interest is a critical step before one can select a college or major. Limited exposure to different careers or professionals can hinder this critical decision making process. Our B&CB students interact constantly with professionals, executives, and civic leaders who invite them to shadow, volunteer, or fill internships to gain firsthand experiences.

**We also work closely with "Pipeline Programs" targeting our students for scholarships designed to increase diversity in university programs and careers historically underrepresented.

Strategic Scholarship Searches

Have you received the long email about all of the unclaimed scholarships set aside for students of color ---that teens don't apply for? There are a host of local, regional, and national scholarships that you may not be aware of. We partner with scholarship providers also seeking to get the word out. Join our "Scholarship Search Sunday" events and see for yourself.

Financial Aid Sourcing & FAFSA Help

This summer our College Readiness Boot Campers had seminars on financial aid resources to tap into early. Our partners at the MO Dept. of Higher Education also had a blast and offered to join us repeatedly to get the word out through our events and "FAFSA Frenzy Fridays" where they can bring staff to help you enter your tax info to secure federal financial aid.

(Did you know that students cannot secure school-based financial aid until your FAFSA has been processed? Colleges disperse school aid on a 1st come, 1st served basis beginning Jan. 1. Late filers BEWARE!!!!!!!)

College Fairs & Tours

Our 2013 Spring Break College Tour Crew visited Tougaloo, Jackson State, Wiley College (Known for the Great Debaters Film), Texas Southern, Prairie View A&M University, Xavier, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, University of Arkansas Fayetteville. The trip also included a Houston Rockets game, spending a day in New Orleans (yum!!), shopping excursions, and fun at a local arcade/bowling/ go-kart arena. The tour ended with a private networking reception with the highest ranking African American leaders at Sam's Club National Headquarters (many of whom manage $2B+ budgets

Our services are designed to prepare young adults for lifelong college and career success. Many seminars also engage parents and siblings who are partners in this process. Career exploration and early college awareness go hand in hand. Without determining fields of interest, you cannot select your desired major or pick universities that specialize in such. Our programs expose teens to opportunities with far reaching benefits and lifelong impacts.

1 Assessment of Your College Planning Needs Based on Grade Level, GPA, & Interests.

2 Design of a Customized Action Plan

3 Explore Career Interests.

4 Explore Colleges of Interest & Participate in Our College Tours.

5 Work Your Customized Action Plan

6 Engage with Campus Events & Activities.

Establish networks with campus reps.

Publish your scholarship/academic portfolio.

Launch your graduation plans & scholarship acceptances.

Ongoing check ins with your B&CB Coaches.

How Can An Educational College Planning Consultant Help Your Family?

A professional educational consultant works one-on-one with each student, helping to identify colleges and universities that offer the best matches for the student's unique needs, and keeping the student on track through every phase of the college application process. Our impartial expertise can help your family with:

High School curriculum planning - A consultant can help students make smart choices about their high school courses so that they stay on track for college admissions.
College admissions profile assessment - Although no consultant can guarantee admission to any individual college, a consultant can help your child identify their strengths as an applicant.
College selection - A consultant can assist your child in finding the colleges and universities which best match their interests, personality, needs and admissions profile.
College entrance exams - A professional consultant can answer questions about which college entrance exams are most appropriate for your child and when to schedule testing. Some consultants also provide assistance with test preparation.
College applications and essays - A consultant works with each student to establish a realistic schedule for staying on top of application details and deadlines. Consultants may also review application elements, including essays.
Majors and Careers - Students often benefit from guidance in choosing majors and careers that are a good fit, as well as information about which colleges offer strong programs in areas of interest.
Financial Aid - Many families worry about how to pay for college expenses. A consultant can help your family navigate these concerns, while pointing your family in the direction of financial aid and merit scholarship opportunities.

Help from a non-biased third party so that you and your child can focus on enjoying this time together, rather than arguing about completing college applications

Source: Higher Education Consultants Association

Top 10 college planning exercises to stay on track

1 Maintain a competitive GPA throughout high school.

Remember, your GPA is your "bank account". Higher GPAs make you eligible for more scholarships. Take all four years of high school seriously.

2 Practice for the ACT Exam often.

The purpose of this "standardized" college entrance exam is to assess your level of college readiness. Admissions counselors seek higher ACT scores as indicators that applicants are more likely to be successful students if admitted.

3 Meet with your high school counselor often.

Do not allow yourself to get lost in the crowd. Today's school counselors have hundreds of students in their caseloads. That is no excuse for failing to provide EACH & EVERY STUDENT with a solid roadmap to college, careers, and scholarships. Be seen often!

6 Explore your career interests early.

Career explorations teach you what type of jobs or work activities you enjoy. Research industry trends and career outlooks to assess what field is best for you. Remember, college majors are based on your desired career interests.

7 Do your college research homework early.

Begin your online reviews of colleges and universities of interest NOW! Too often students return home after one or two semesters ready to transfer because they failed to plan well. The school you like today may not be the best fit. Check it out thoroughly.

8 Participate in college fairs and college tours early.

Interactions with Admissions Counselors and the campus itself provide first hand experiences that will help you decide what environment is best for you. Do not wait until 12th grade to go see what each campus offers --it may be too late to make an informed decision or change your mind.

4 Serve your community.

No matter what grade you are in, free time should include community service projects. These help your admission application by a) helping others b) demonstrating the contributions you make c) provide insight to real world jobs and needs d) show you as a well rounded student e) fulfill service requirements and f) improve your scholarship chances.

9 Start bookmarking scholarships of interest NOW.

Most scholarships are offered annually. Don't wait until your senior year to begin looking. Save a copy of all scholarships you want to apply for in a folder TODAY! Proactive students should even complete applications and essays IN ADVANCE. (You can always edit before actual submission.) You don't want them to pile up when you're down to the wire.

5 Continue to READ and sharpen your academic skills.

If you were not a big reader, now is the time to get on it! The primary difference between college and high school is the amount of reading required between each class. Students who don't like to read will struggle when professors assign two chapters before the next class session. Unlike high school, no one will check to make sure you have completed your required reading, nor will they "review" or highlight important topics covered in the reading. You will be lucky if you only have one textbook per class.

There is a lot of work to be done when planning to get TO & THROUGH college successfully. Why be overwhelmed? Let our college coaches, workshops, online tools, and individual coaching strategies guide you along this path. It is not enough to be accepted into a college. Your goal should be to STAND OUT AMONG THE COMPETITION so well that university recruiters offer you SCHOLARSHIPS to join their campus!

You don't have to struggle alone! Call us today and let our coaching team design your CUSTOMIZED ACTION PLAN now!!!

10 REGISTER WITH BLACK & COLLEGE BOUND TODAY!!!!!!!!!!