Providing elite-level, in-school college counseling services to students in Greater Birmingham.
work history
In October 2019, VIDAL partnered with Commonpoint Queens, a 501(c)(3) community-based organization in New York City, to provide remote college counseling services to a cohort of 20 low-income seniors from Forest Hills High School in NYC. Over the 2019-20 academic year, each senior received a minimum of 5 hours of individualized college counseling support.
As a result of this partnership, the following outcomes were achieved:
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83 total college counseling sessions
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125 hours of college counseling
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6.25 hours of college counseling per student
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102 essay edits
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190 applications submitted
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105 college acceptances
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$6,610,344 received in gift aid (scholarships + institutional grants)
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100% accepted into at least 1 of their Top 3 schools
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43 different college acceptances
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Early Decision acceptances to Johns Hopkins, the University of Rochester, and American University
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Additional acceptances to Barnard College, Binghamton University, Boston University, Brandeis University, Fordham University, Franklin & Marshall, New York University, Northeastern University, Purdue University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, The Cooper Union, Union College, and Vassar College. All CUNY and SUNY institutions were also among the acceptances.
In August 2020, VIDAL partnered with Birmingham City Schools to primarily serve Ramsay High School, Woodlawn High School, and Carver High School. In addition, VIDAL has supported BCS on a district-wide level by coordinating a virtual Alabama HBCU week, offering a webinar during College Application Week, and being a participant of the district's FAFSA Planning Committee. As a result of our efforts in BCS and beyond, we have achieved the following from September 12th through February 28th:
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1,798 students served
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582 hours of college counseling provided to seniors
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20 FAFSA workshops (14 online + 6 in-person)
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257 essay critiques/edits
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Early Action acceptances to Harvard University, Yale University, and Tulane University