This post was written by Girls Write Now mentee Julia Mercado
College is one of the most difficult things to prepare for and without the right resources and information students are often lost in the application process. When someone asks me if I am College Ready, I simply laugh and shake my head no. After attending the Girls Write Now College Bound Seminar, I might laugh but shake my head yes. This seminar definitely filled my head with a lot of the information that I needed to know in terms of the college process.
Having the base for holding this seminar at The New School, there was opportunities to have not only mentees but other juniors and seniors outside of the program as well. The seminar began in the main lecture hall and once everyone was seated, there was a panel of college counselors ready to answer all our questions. They answered questions from what to do in terms of interviews, tips for our personal statements and helped distinguish national tests like the SAT and ACTs.
Soon after the panel was over, each girl broke up into their own schedule and had mini classes teaching various things. Mine was Essay Writing 101 which was led by two former mentors of Girls Write Now, This class gave me the time to actually form a plan about what to write for my personal statement. This, however only led me a third of the way to being able to say that I am College Ready.
After a quick bite of pizza and a chance to speak with representatives from multiple colleges, I was off to another panel that was a chance to hear about college from current college students that are former mentees as well. This gave us a chance to hear the do’s and don’ts of homework and relationships in and outside of school. This helped me feel a little better about how to prepare for the worst when it comes to college by hearing personal experiences.
On my last stop of the day, I went to an information session about paying for college, one of the most stressful aspects of applying to college. I gained a glossary of financial aid terms and websites to help me next year when I actually go through the college process. Being a current junior in high school, it was great to have a whole day dedicated to informing me about college. I will definitely be there at next year’s College Bound Seminar!