Onsite Admissions Forum In conjunction with Chicago Scholars
The Onsite Admissions Forum, held every year in late October, ensures that our scholars are matched with a set of good-fit college options by jump-starting the college admissions process. Through workshops, mentoring, and individual college counseling, our program accelerates the application cycle, which puts Evanston Scholars ahead of most students.
With the Onsite opportunity, Scholars self-select and apply to five to six "good-fit" colleges from over 100 prestigious colleges and universities. As a result, Evanston Scholars submit completed college applications by late September of their senior year of high school. For a list of colleges at Onsite, go to the following link:
Evanston Scholars Executive Director Steve Newman with Andrea and her three acceptance letters to Augustana College, Lake Forest College, and Knox College along with over $200,000 in scholarships.
Evanston Scholars Earn College Acceptances and Over $1M in Scholarships at Onsite Admissions Forum
Boarding a bus at 6:00AM, Evanston Scholars start out on a day that brings tears of joy, hugs, and cheers. An inspiring scene unfolds as students, mentors, board members and staff band together to cheer on the Evanston Scholars as doors to the future open up at the Onsite Admissions Forum. As many of the academically ambitious, first generation and low-income students attest, their "Evanston Scholars family" is there to offer them support.
The Onsite Admissions Forum is a large event organized by Chicago Scholars - an organization that has helped over 2,500 first generation and low-income students achieve a 95% college graduation rate through a combination of mentoring, college readiness programming, and follow-up support in college. At Onsite, approximately 700 students from metropolitan Chicago interview with admissions officers from over 100 colleges who are looking to recruit the Evanston Scholars student -- academically ambitious students who are low-income and will be the first in their families to graduate college. Students can submit up to six college applications in preparation for the event. Admissions officers review applications ahead of time and come prepared with letters of acceptance, scholarship awards, and messages of deferral and requests for more information, such as second semester senior grades.
During their interviews, nearly all of the Evanston Scholars cohort received acceptance letters from schools including Illinois Wesleyan University, Augustana College, Knox College, University of Iowa, and Kent State University. Evanston Scholars students have been awarded over $1 million in scholarships from these and other schools.
Gaining acceptance and aid to colleges as early as October is unusual among their peers, most of whom are just finishing up initial applications. On average, Evanston Scholars apply to 10 schools each - an "apply early and often" strategy designed to help students find the school that best meets their academic, social, and financial needs.