Recent Grads Advise High School Students about College

Education leaders have long worried that many high school students don't get adequate help in choosing a college. Nationwide, there is an average of one full-time guidance counselor per 315 public high school students, according to a 2003 report by the National Center for Education Statistics. And counselors don't necessarily spend much time helping students choose and apply to colleges. They also advise students on course selection, counsel students with personal problems, and handle discipline issues. Several years ago, the University of Virginia decided to step into that void. In 2006, with start-up money from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, it sent new graduates to about a dozen high schools across the state to work as college advisers. The program went national in 2007, with $1-million grants for each of 10 universities. The program, the National College Advising Corps, collaborates with 15 colleges in 14 states, and has its headquarters at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is continuing to expand as colleges, mostly public flagships, see it as a good way to help high schools connect with prospective students from less-affluent communities, and to provide fulfilling work for new graduates.