Rochester City Schools are making an effort to aid Monroe High School seniors in applying and getting accepted to college. The UR Medical Center has volunteered by creating a project called “Ready, Set, Go to College.”
There were a series of one-on-one meetings at URMC between 93 second-year medical students and 100 MHS seniors last Friday in order to help the seniors prepare their college applications. Over the rest of the year, the medical students will stay in contact with the seniors, making sure they meet application deadlines, as well as offering their guidance on any other issues.
Adrienne Morgan and Gladys Pedraza-Burgos from the URMC Center for Advocacy, Community Health, Education and Diversity will coordinate the project. The project began when juniors from MHS toured the UR campus.
In January, another workshop, focused on financial aid, will take place for Monroe students and their parents.
The curriculum of the English program has even changed to make writing college essays and personal statements a part of English classes. The Rochester City School District’s Department of Counseling and the English Language Arts Department have worked together to do this. To further motivate the MHS students to do well on their applications, the Dentistry students wrote letters of encouragement this month.
President of the second-year medical school class William Gensheimer believes having the opportunity to go to college is necessary.
“Attending college is one of the most important choices a person can make to better their future,” Gensheimer said. “Our class has two goals for this program. First, we want every senior at Monroe High School to have the opportunity to attend college. Second, we want education to provide these seniors with the tools that they need to make informed decisions about their own health for the rest of their lives.”
Schneier is a member of the class of 2011.
