Approximately
Are the First in Their Family to Attend College
Our students come from families with an average income of less than $24,000, just below the federal poverty line. They are typically the first in their family to attend college. Our students have varied career goals, and they know that college is their path to success.
Zhi - Minds Matter San Francisco
The first in her family to go to college, Zhi relied on Minds Matter to help her navigate the application and selection process. With the encouragement and guidance of Minds Matter, Zhi explored colleges she would have never even considered. Now, Zhi attends Middlebury College tuition-free.
Johnathan - Minds Matter Chicago
With the help of Minds Matter Chicago, Johnathan beat the odds in one of the city’s most challenged neighborhoods – graduating from high school in Englewood and enrolling Pomona College on a full scholarship. “I love all of you,” Johnathan wrote in an e-mail to the Chicago chapter during his first semester at Pomona College. “Without you, I wouldn’t have the chance to be here.”
Rasha - Minds Matter Seattle
Rasha dreams of becoming a primary care doctor or surgeon, and Minds Matter’s summer programs helped her pursue that passion. Rasha’s Minds Matter Mentors helped her apply to attend the MultiCare Nurse Camp over the summer, to pursue her passion in the medical field. During the five-day camp, Rasha tested medical devices, practiced suturing, and shadowed professional nurses and other healthcare providers.
The Minds Matter Program
Beginning in their sophomore year of high school, our students spend 4-6 hours per week during the school year in Minds Matter sessions with their volunteer mentors and instructors. Our sophomore program centers on cultivating the math and writing/critical thinking skills that are the foundation of our students’ academic success. In the junior program, students work with their mentors on test preparation for the SAT and ACT standardized exams. During the summers after their sophomore and junior year, students attend summer enrichment programs at prep schools, colleges, and universities across the country and around the world. In the senior program, students work closely with their mentors on personal statements, financial aid forms, financial literacy, and navigating the college application process. Our volunteers guide seniors through college selection, helping students determine what school and area of study might be the best fit for them.
Throughout the program, students gain confidence and ambition, strengthen their skills in writing, critical thinking, test-taking, and mathematics, and flourish into young adults who are ready and excited to succeed in college. Minds Matter proudly boasts a 100% success rate for students’ acceptance into four-year colleges and universities.
College Acceptances
Just To Name A Few...
Allegheny College
American University
Baldwin Wallace University
Barnard College
Bentley University
Bowling Green State University
Brandeis University
Bryn Mawr College
Caldwell College
California State Polytechnic University
San Luis Obispo California State University
Long Beach California State University
Northridge California State University
San Francisco California State University
San Jose Carroll College
City College of San Francisco
Cleveland State University
Colorado State University
Connecticut College
Cornell University
CUNY Baruch College
CUNY City College
CUNY Hunter College
CUNY New York City
College of Technology
CUNY Queens College
CUNY Staten Island
CUNY York College
Daemen College
Dartmouth College
Denison University
DePaul University
Dickinson College
East Stroudsburg University of
Pennsylvania
Fordham University
Franklin and Marshall College
Hamilton College
Illinois Institute of Technology
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Ithaca College
Jackson State University
John Carroll University
Kenyon College
Lehigh University
Lewis & Clark College
Long Island University
Loyola University
Loyola University Maryland
Marquette University
Marymount Manhattan College
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and
Health Sciences
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Middlebury College
Mount Holyoke College
North Carolina A&T State University
Northeastern Illinois University
Northeastern University
Northern Illinois University
Notre Dame of Maryland University
Nyack College
Ohio State University
Oregon Institute of Technology
Pace University
Pacific Lutheran University
Pennsylvania State University
Pomona College
Princeton University
Providence College
Purdue University
Reed College
Saint Louis University
Saint Mary’s College
Skidmore College
Smith College
Southern Illinois University
St. John’s University
St. Olaf College
St. Thomas University
Stonehill College
Suffolk University
SUNY Albany
SUNY Brockport
SUNY Buffalo
SUNY Fredonia
SUNY Geneseo
SUNY New Paltz
SUNY Potsdam
Trinity College
Tufts University
Union College
University of California Berkeley
University of California Irvine
University of California Los Angeles
University of California Merced
University of California Riverside
University of California San Diego
University of California Santa Cruz
University of Colorado - Boulder
University of Colorado - Denver
University of Denver
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Urbana
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
University of Massachusetts, Boston
University of Miami
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
University of Minnesota
University of Pennsylvania
University of Richmond
University of St. Thomas
Villanova University
Washington State University
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University
West Chester University
Wheaton College
Williams College
Find a Chapter Near You
Visit our Chapters Page to find the chapter nearest you and learn how you can apply to be a student.