NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                           CONTACT:      Sarah Idowu or Natalie Rule

March 31, 2008                                                                           651.917.3525

Closing Soon: Admission Possible Student Recruitment for 2008-09

Low-income Twin Cities Sophomores Interested in College Should Apply Now

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Admission Possible’s once-a-year application period for low-income high school sophomores will close in just over two weeks.  Sophomores interested in this free two-year college preparatory program for low-income students are encouraged to apply immediately. 

Admission Possible staff members are currently accepting applications from eligible sophomores on-site at each of 16 Greater Twin Cities partner high schools until mid-April.  Students in attendance at other high schools may contact Admission Possible headquarters to apply at 651-917-3525 or info@admissionpossible.org.

For a 51-second audio file of CEO and founder Jim McCorkell talking about student recruitment, scroll to the bottom of this page. 

“Every student entering the Admission Possible program is a student we will invest ourselves 100 percent in getting into college – and not just any college, but a college that is a great fit academically and financially,” said Admission Possible founder and CEO Jim McCorkell.  “If students will take this leap and put their faith in us, they’ll see the kind of faith this community has in them.”

In Admission Possible’s eight-year history, 98 percent of participating students have earned admission to college; 95 percent went on to enroll and nearly 80 percent of those students are still working toward their college degree or have already graduated.

Admission Possible students commit to two after-school sessions a week during their junior and senior years of high school.  Students join a small learning group and are assigned one Admission Possible college coach who works with them in small groups and individually for each year of the program.  During these two years, students are provided free ACT/SAT test preparation, intensive guidance in preparing college applications, help in obtaining financial aid, and guidance in the transition to college. 

Three requirements for entry into the Admission Possible program are: 1) income eligibility – a student’s family income is at or below the median income for the city of residence; 2) a student is a high school sophomore on track to be a junior in 2008-09; 3) a student is willing to commit to after-school sessions, and Saturday ACT practice exams, college campus visits and community service outings over the two years.  Additionally, students admitted to the program typically have a GPA of 2.0 or higher and a solid record of school attendance.

Approximately 700 sophomores across the Twin Cities will be notified of admittance to the program by late April and will begin Admission Possible after-school programming in the fall of the 2008-09 school year at one of these partner schools:  Arlington, Central, Como Park, Harding, Highland Park, Humboldt and Johnson high schools in St. Paul; Patrick Henry, Roosevelt, North, and Edison high schools in Minneapolis; Armstrong and Cooper high schools in Robbinsdale, Minn.; St. Louis Park High School; and charter schools, Higher Ground Academy and Ubah Medical Academy.

Students, parents and other caring adults interested in learning more about the program or wanting to refer a student may visit the Admission Possible office in each school, or call 651-917-3525, or visit the organization’s website www.admissionpossible.org            

Admission Possible is a nonprofit organization founded in Minnesota in 2000 and dedicated to helping promising low-income high school students prepare for and earn admission to college.  Admission Possible currently serves 1,200 students at 15 high schools in the metro area and will serve 1,300 students in 16 high schools during the 2008-09 academic year. 

###

 Hear Jim McCorkell on new students joining Admission Possible