The College Adviser serves full-time at a select low-income high school in Texas. Working alongside high school and district staff, the adviser will assist students with college admissions, financial aid, and scholarship applications to help students realize their dream of attending college.
Service Activities
1. Provide one-on-one admissions and financial-aid advice to any student or family seeking assistance
• Encourage each student to consider a broad range of appropriate college choices
• Develop for each student a comprehensive college timeline, including application deadlines for admission and financial aid
• Help each student complete and submit admissions and financial-aid applications
• Assist each student in interpreting correspondence from colleges, including offers of admission and financial aid
2. Organize group events that encourage students and their families to consider, plan for, and apply to colleges and universities
• Visit classrooms, assemblies, and club meetings to offer advising services and emphasize the importance of college
• Visit feeder middle schools to encourage early planning for college
• Work with local community groups—churches, boys and girls clubs, social-service providers—to offer group events outside school setting and hours
3. Establish productive working relationships with principals, counselors, and teachers in the assigned high school
• Assess, in consultation with the program director and school personnel, the particular needs of each school, and adapt programs and activities to meet these needs
• Actively seek the advice and counsel of the on-site supervisor at each partner high school
4. Assist in the efforts of other adviser(s) within the service area
• Visit other high schools in their assigned service area during school days to assist with programming activities and events
• Help organize, provide support for, and attend evening and weekend events organized by other adviser(s)
5. Assist in the assessment and long-term sustainability of the program
• Assist the program director and evaluation staff to identify, collect, and interpret key progress and outcome variables to evaluate the effectiveness of the College Advising Corps program
• Submit regular progress reports to the program director documenting progress and outcome data
• Meet, as appropriate, with program third-party evaluators
• Represent the College Advising Corps, as requested by the program director, to potential supporters and to other interested parties
6. Maintain expertise in admissions and financial-aid advising
• Participate fully in four weeks of training each summer
• In consultation with the program director, seek out and participate in other opportunities for professional development
Community Need Addressed
Each year hundreds of thousands of low-income students face barriers to college access and success. Low-income students often lack the guidance and support they need to prepare for college, apply to the best-fit schools, apply for financial aid, enroll and persist in their studies, and ultimately graduate.
Position Outcomes
High schools served will experience an enhanced college-going culture and will see an increase in college enrollment rates among low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students.
Benefits
Childcare assistance if eligible, Education award upon successful completion of service, Health coverage, Living allowance, Student loan forbearance, Training
Education Benefits
College Degree
Skills you will gain
Tact, diplomacy, a strong commitment to service, leadership skills, collaboration, entrepreneurship, problem-solving, organizational and communication skills, writing and speaking persuasively.
Competencies You Will Develop
Communication
Demonstrate sensitivity and empathy, Lead group discussion, Maintain open lines of communication with others, Speak clearly, in precise language and in a logical, organized and coherent manner, Write cleary and effectively
Creativity & Problem Solving
Capable of generating possible solutions, Improvise, Provide relevant expertise
Teamwork
Develop constructive working relationships and maintain them over time, Establish a high degree of trust and credibility with others, Interact professionally and respectfully with supervisors and co-workers, Stay positive and outcome oriented
Decisions
Accepts responsibility, Involve people appropriately in decisions that may impact them, Quickly respond with a back-up plan if a decision goes amiss
Tools
Carefully consider which tools or technological solutions are appropriate for a given job, Consistently choose the best tool or technological solution for the problem at hand
Planning
Able to prioritize various competing tasks, Create plan of action, schedule tasks so that work is completed on time, Demonstrate the effective allocation of time and resources efficiently, Drive decision making, Set goals
Service
Be pleasant, courteous, professional and respectful when dealing with internal and external customers or clients, Honor the privilege of being able to work with and for those being served, Provide personalized, prompt, and efficient service to meet the requirements, requests and needs of customers, Recognize the importance of maintaining privacy and confidentiality of those being served