1. City of Chicago… LET’S CONNECT! René Gomez Assistant Director of Admissions Lake Forest College DeVone Eurales Senior Assistant Director of Admission, Coordinator of Multicultural Recruitment Knox College

2. City of Chicago… Let’s Connect! Building Collaborative Relationships with: ▫High School Counselors and Admission Staffs ▫Community Based Organizations and Admission Staffs Helping Students and their Families with developing successful applications and transitions to college.

3. Session Goals Leave this session with: ▫Blueprint to better recruit the city of Chicago. ▫Strategies that can be implemented within your office, high school or college. ▫Tips and Best Practices on communication between counseling professionals. ▫Tips on how to manage and cultivate dialogue between counseling staffs and families.

4. Why Chicago as a focus? Both Knox and Lake Forest College have seen an increase in applications over the past three years. With constant expansions of schools and programming within the City, it has become essential for us to be able to navigate the connections that are helpful to the students that we work with but also the institutions we work for.

5. Chicago Schools  Two types: › Chicago Public Schools › Chicago Parochial and Private Schools  Both are different! › CPS: Multiple types › Neighborhood, Selective Enrollment, Military, Charters and Technical, etc. › Access dependent on school resources › Parochial/Private › Funding, Religious based, Gender based, etc.

6. Chicago Schools cont… These small differences alone prove that there are different/effective ways to work with each type of school/program. High School Counselors and Admissions Representatives should begin/continue discussions on how to build rapport between the two!

7. How do we cultivate relationships? Build the relationship Maintain the relationship

8. Tips for High School Counselors High School Counselors Admission Counselors

9. Building Collaborative Relationships What are you doing to build the bridge with high Admission counselors? Start the conversation  Begin to have discussions with your admissions colleagues about students that have been successful at their schools.

10. Building Collaborative Relationships cont… Be proactive ask for help!  Examples: We’re having a college night could you lead a panel session.  Would you be willing to come speak with a group of juniors.

11. Maintaining Relationships  Reaching Out  Call the College to check on applicants  What profile of students are these schools looking for?  Have students from your institutions been admitted?  Have you and/or your students visited campuses?  Have you contacted Admissions for possible programming help?  Junior Nights, Writing Sessions, Mock Interviews

12. Tips for Admission Counselors High School Counselors Admission Counselors

13. Building Collaborative Relationships What are you doing to build the bridge with high school counselors? ▫Connecting to their needs!  College Panels  Classroom visits  Family/Parent nights  Professional Development sessions  Campus Visits

14. Building the Relationship “First Date” ▫How long have you been there? ▫How big is your case load? ▫What do love most about job? ▫Have you had much contact with my institution? ▫How long have you been in the profession and in what capacity?

15. Maintain the Relationship “The Courting Process” - Monthly Check-ins ▫How are they? ▫How are their students? ▫What can I do to help you? ▫Is there any updated information I can have? ▫Have you connected with our alumni teacher in the school?

16. Community Based Organizations There are many organizations that deal with the youth of Chicago. Some examples include: ▫Chicago Scholars ▫Urban Students (U.S.) Empowered ▫HighSight ▫LINK Unlimited ▫East Village Youth Program ▫Upward Bound

17. Community Based Orgs. cont…  These programs give students opportunities to grow outside of their classrooms.  Programming may include: › ACT prep › College Visits › Onsite Interviews › Essay Writing Workshops  These programs break the mold of the “like” student within CPS Schools to a more global outlook of students… since they are coming from different schools!

18. A few CBO’s in the City (Click on the name to open the hyperlink) Ada S. McKinley – Henry Ray, Senior Educational Counselor/Trainer, hray@adasmckinley.orgAda S. McKinleyhray@adasmckinley.org After School Matters – Mark Pristop, Post Secondary Coordinator, mark.pristop@cityofchicago.orgAfter School Mattersmark.pristop@cityofchicago.org Chicago Scholars – Meseret Negash, Senior Vice President, External Affairs, mnegash@chicagoscholars.orgChicago Scholarsmnegash@chicagoscholars.org Chicago Youth Centers – Renee Daye-Cross, Career & College Readiness Coordinator, renee.daye@chicagoyouthcenters.orgChicago Youth Centersrenee.daye@chicagoyouthcenters.org Collegiate Scholars – Jacqueline Gaines, Manager of College Advising and Admissions, jgaines@uchicago.eduCollegiate Scholarsjgaines@uchicago.edu Daniel Murphy Scholarship Foundation – Carol Lee Barry, Director of College Counseling, carollee@dmsf.orgDaniel Murphy Scholarship Foundationcarollee@dmsf.org Genesys Works – Melissa Vater, Program Coordinator-Lead Instructor, mvater@genesysworks.orgGenesys Worksmvater@genesysworks.org HighSight – Patty Hart, Program Director, patty@highsight.orgHighSightpatty@highsight.org Link Unlimited – Rodney Gore, Program Manager, rgore@linkunlimited.orgLink Unlimitedrgore@linkunlimited.org Marwen – Saba Syal Elahi, Coordinator of College and Career Programs, ssyal@marwen.orgMarwenssyal@marwen.org Target Hope

19. Tips for Community Based Organizations Community Based Organizations Admission Counselors

20. Building Collaborative Relationships What are you doing to build the bridge with Admission Counselors? ▫Accessibility!  Have you reached out to schools to come and visit your CBO site?  Have students been prepped and are they genuinely interested in the visiting with the school?

21. Maintain the Relationship Monthly Check-ins ▫Call with updates about students. ▫Discuss current students from your CBO ▫Strategize programming opportunities  Application review session  Campus Visit ▫What can I do for you?

22. Tips for Admission Counselors Community Based Organizations Admission Counselors

23. Building the Relationship What are you doing to build the bridge with Community Based Organizations? ▫Connect to their needs!  Get to know who you need to know  Visit and tour the facility  Interact with the students more informally

24. Maintain the Relationship Monthly Check-ins ▫How are they? ▫How are their students? ▫What can I do to help you? ▫Is there any updated information I can have?

25. Relationships… Translate into: More exposure and interest To More Effective Applications!

26. According to… The Consortium on Chicago School Research ▫CPS students who aspire to complete a four-year degree do not effectively participate in the college application process. 1 ▫So how do we make sure students become actively involved in the application process? 1 Executive Summary – From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College – March 2008

27. Effective Applications What are effective applications? ▫MATCH AND FIT! How do we create successful applications? ▫Sensibility  Are we helping the student apply to schools that make sense to their ability? ▫College Success of Student  Are the colleges that we are suggesting or working for have the proper environment (academic, social, aspirations, beliefs, etc.) for the student?  We need to help guide students to schools that ARE a possible yes! Encourage them to be honest with themselves and their aptitude.

28. Effective Applications Build a rapport with the family! ▫If families feel that you are looking for their best interest in mind… this will begin the process of understanding what applying to college entails ▫Once families feel your concern they will, in turn, provide TRUST!

29. Effective Application cont… How do you build trust? ▫Accountability  Do what you say, you’re going to do! ▫Reliability  Consistent ▫Knowledge  Know your stuff, know your students, know your profession! ▫Maintain Best Interest  Don’t turn them into something they are not! ▫Professional

30. Effective Applications cont… We need to use our consulting skills ▫Authenticity ▫Relatable ▫Transparency With these skills, we can then give responsibility to the student to establish their role as an advocate for themselves!

31. Transitions to College Students have ideas of what the transition to college should be. They will find that it is one of self-discovery and growth in a new environment ▫When students relate to the niche of what the college provides, you are more likely to have them as an applicant!

32. Working together on transition Look at transition from the student’s point of view. ▫Who you are now? ▫How will you approach varying environments? ▫What expectations have you set? ▫Have these expectations limited yourself or other factors?

33. Working together on transition cont… You have to let students know that their expectations may not always be met As the consultant… CONSULT! ▫We are all on the same page – hoping to have the best match fit. We will not set them up to fail or be disappointed but we understand that there are reaches!

34. According to… The Consortium on Chicago School Research ▫Only about one-third of CPS students who aspire to complete a four-year degree enroll in a college that matches their qualifications. 2 ▫How do we make sure that students find and know what schools are best fit? 2 Executive Summary – From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College – March 2008

35. How do we find best match/fit? Make relatable connections to the students ▫Incorporate past student success/experiences ▫Historical Evaluations Is this a good match in general? What are the challenges other students have had to overcome? Resources?

36. Match/Fit cont… Urban to Urban… isn’t an automatic match Each neighborhood is different. Students from different ways of life and cultures gravitate to different things. Find connections! Leaving High School and going to College WILL BE DIFFERENT! Doesn’t matter how we phrase it!

37. Finally… Your student really won’t know what they will exactly need until… THEY GET THERE! Be supportive and a resource when they set foot on campus!

38. Panel Discussion Moderator ▫Quinton Clay  Assistant Director of Admission and Coordinator of Chicago Recruitment – Grinnell College – clayquin@grinnell.educlayquin@grinnell.edu Panel ▫Caroline Kelly  Dean of College Counseling – Pritzker College Prep – ckelly@noblenetwork.org ckelly@noblenetwork.org ▫Celso Cárdenas  College Counselor and Coordinator of College Testing – Francis W. Parker School – ccardenas@fwparker.orgccardenas@fwparker.org ▫Patty Hart  Program Director – HighSight – patty.hart@highsight.orgpatty.hart@highsight.org ▫Audrey Penman  Admissions Counselor – Western Illinois University – AR- penman@wiu.eduAR- penman@wiu.edu

39. Thanks from Us! René Gomez Assistant Director of Admissions Lake Forest College (847)735-5008 gomez@lakeforest.edu DeVone Eurales Senior Assistant Director of Admission Knox College (309) 341-7147 deurales@knox.edu