Minds Matter

Chicago - Students FAQ

What are the requirements for a student to be accepted into the Minds Matter program?
Minds Matter is looking for students who:

Will be enrolled in Grade 10 at the start of our program and interested in pursuing a college education
Demonstrate strong academic potential, motivation, maturity, time management and responsibility
Maintain an overall grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale)
Are active in extracurricular and/or community activities (part time jobs included)
Have a total family income below $25,000 (Special consideration may be granted based on number of dependents and other extenuating circumstances)
Would benefit greatly from a summer academic experience

What is the cost of the Minds Matter program?
Minds Matter helps students apply for financial aid awards and raises funds to supplement financial aid. Thus, the program is of no cost to the student, his/her family, or school.

When is the application deadline?
The deadline for the 2009-2010 academic school year will be in September 2009. Applications will be available online in August 2009. Please mail all application items together.

How and when are students notified as to whether they were accepted into the program?
Students invited to interview will be contacted by telephone shortly after they submit their applications. The time and location of the interviews have yet to be determined. Students will be notified of Minds Matter's admissions decision by October.

How often does the Minds Matter program meet?
Minds Matter sessions are held on Saturdays from 11:00AM - 2:30PM during the school year. Sessions are not held on holidays or during school vacations. We end right before Memorial Day.

Where do weekly sessions take place?
Currently, we meet at the offices of LKH&S at 54 W. Hubbard, Suite 100. In choosing a location, we aim to find a safe environment that is easily accessible via public transportation.

What kinds of summer programs do Minds Matter students apply to?
Minds Matter sophomores apply to a variety of academic summer programs at colleges, universities, and prep schools around the country. Minds Matter juniors have the option of applying to academic summer programs abroad. Please take a look at our latest annual report to see where students spent their summers last year!

What process is used to match Minds Matter students with their mentors?
Minds Matter takes mentor/mentee matching very seriously. Volunteers and students alike are asked a series of questions during the application process as well as the interview to assess interests (hobbies, personal background, career, etc), areas of strength, and areas of improvement so that the Directors of Mentors and Mentees may do their best to ensure a good match and overall experience for both the mentors and the mentee.

Do students stay with the same mentors throughout their entire Minds Matter experience?
Ideally, a mentee will have the same mentors from the day he/she starts the program until the day that he/she graduates from high school. Minds Matter does its best to assess each volunteer's availability and match him/her accordingly. We do, however, understand that "life happens" and Minds Matter sometimes does experience turnover due to unforeseen circumstances such as job/city changes and graduate school. Luckily, Minds Matter is growing on a national level and we do often see volunteers join a different Chapter should they move to another city in which we operate. In fact, most of Minds Matter's Chapters were started in other cities by volunteers who had to leave New York because of work and school commitments!

What criteria are taken into consideration when matching a student to a summer program?
In early spring, Minds Matter mentors begin to work behind the scenes with the summer programs. Based on each student's attendance, commitment and involvement in the Program, and the scholarship money offered to each student, we work to place each student in a summer program. Students are notified of their placement in April - May.

Who can I contact if I have other questions about being a student in the Minds Matter program?
If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact Michael Recht or Ari Kessler at chicago@mindsmatter.org.

Minds Matter, Inc.
1120 Avenue of Americas
4th Floor
New York, NY 10036
info@mindsmatter.org
212.626.6584