CBI is a year-round comprehensive college guidance program that works with students from the 6th – 12th grades to ensure that they have access to and can afford a college education. CBI’s full-time, school-based college counselor works closely with principals and teachers to promote a college-going culture that raises parent and student expectations. Counselors guide students to overcome barriers to college entry through early college awareness activities, application, financial aid and enrollment support. As a result, CBI increases students’ college enrollment rates and helps secure the critical financial aid that makes higher education affordable and achievable. For CBI students, the question is not if but where they will go to college.
Counselors deliver the following year-round activities to students in the 6th-12th grades:
Early college and career awareness activities
Counselors frequently host college admissions officers and coordinate college trips and fairs; provide 6th-10th graders with college awareness lessons and workshops; connect students to school alumni who are enrolled in college; and help teachers incorporate college and career awareness into their classes.
Complete application and enrollment support
Counselors assist students with registering and preparing for the PSAT and SAT exams and provide comprehensive financial aid counseling and assistance for students and their parents, especially in the 11th and 12th grades. In addition, counselors offer 12th graders one-on-one assistance with college selection, help students hone their interviewing skills, and assist seniors in the writing of essays, letters of recommendation, and resumes; manage each students' individual application process; and advocate on behalf of students via direct communication to admissions officers. Counselors also offer parent education and outreach for all aspects of the CBI program.
Alumni tracking and support
Counselors connect current students to college-enrolled alumni to reinforce the school’s college-going culture and students’ attainment of their post-secondary goals, and also identify and support at-risk graduated students during summer months to support their transition to college.
College access and learning activities
Counselors lead seniors on overnight trips to partner colleges. Rising seniors from each CBI school are invited to participate in the CollegeBound Summer Institute at Gettysburg College, a three-day college application boot camp. Counselors also introduce students to opportunities for pre-college summer programs and scholarships.
CBI provides its network of counselors with on-going training, management support and professional development to ensure the highest quality delivery of program services. This year, new counselors have the opportunity to participate in counselor training seminars at Goddard’s Option Institute. CBI counselors also benefit from shared resources (best practices, college relationships and workshop materials) and activities (college fairs and trips) as well as our eleven-year history of experience and results.