My Nonprofit Reviews

We have had two students ('18,'20) participate with the programming and receive Last Dollar Grants. The timelines the program provides really help parents and students stay on track for the conversations, visits, applications and financial aid progress without getting overwhelmed or behind. Some of the programming and information can feel a bit repetitive if you have two or more students separated by a year or two, but it's all set up well to take advantage of what makes sense for your family. I have found the student -staff pairings exceptionally helpful. Our youngest student was paired with Brent Smith, and even if Brent was talking with him about the same information as we would be, our student paid attention differently and absorbed the advice in a much better way. He looked forward to his meetings and always recapped them with plenty of details. When he was ready to make his acceptance decision, Brent was one of the first people he wanted to tell.

Both of our students applied to a reasonable number of schools that they were most interested in, and were able to take advantage of the College Application Blitz, where some of the application fees were waived.

We found the ACT prep classes and lunch time programming to be the right fit for going over the material in a guided way and help be prepared for the test in a way that didn't overwhelm or panic the kids.

In talking with other high school parents it's easy to learn that most high schools don't have a similar program and parents and students are left on their own for this type of support. Not only does A Call to College keep the family generally on track for the decision process, but also helps with some of the costs. In addition to the Last Dollar grants the program helps with ACT prep classes, Senior year ACT test fee, and the College Application Blitz. These costs might be $65 or more a piece, allowing the family to be strategic with every dollar possible for additional test dates, and college deposits and expenses. Our entire family has found it valuable. Even as our students are navigating the college experience, we've been able to continue to utilize A Call to College staff for FAFSA and Financial Aid questions. Just a great layer of support, guidance and understanding!