Students
High school students enroll in the Minds Matter program as sophomores and spend three years completing rigorous academic coursework, receiving mentoring from two young professionals, attending college summer programs at leading universities and receiving expert guidance on the college admissions process.
In order to complete the program, students must attend Minds Matter’s sessions every Saturday during the school year. Each session lasts two hours. Given the program’s intensity, Minds Matter only admits students who are high-achievers and have a strong determination to attend college. The Boston chapter currently has 60 sophomores, juniors, and seniors enrolled in its program.
Since its founding in New York City in 1991, Minds Matter has worked with thousands of students across the country and 100% of them gained admission to a four-year university.
How To Apply
Minds Matter of Boston selects students who have demonstrated a commitment to pursuing a college education, have strong academic potential, are highly motivated and display maturity and responsibility. Each of our students actively participates in extracurricular activities, community service and/or part-time employment. Students are nominated by their guidance counselors and are required to submit an application which consists of a few short answers, writing samples, and letters of recommendation from their teachers. Students are further screened through an interviewing process where the Minds Matter Admissions Committee meets with each potential student to discuss applications and to further gauge interest level in and commitment to the Minds Matter program. The selection process is highly competitive and results in a pool of dedicated and talented teenagers.
Minds Matter of Boston targets high school students that meet ALL of the following criteria:
Come from households with an annual family income below $30,000.
Reside in low-income neighborhoods in Boston, Massachusetts.
New students must be enrolled in grades 10 or 11
Students must maintain a strong overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
Minds Matter of Boston is currently accepting student applications for the 2012-2013 school year. Please contact us here to apply.
Courtney Gardner & Nate Ott
Co-Presidents
Minds Matter of Boston
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the requirements for a student to be accepted into the Minds Matter program?
Minds Matter is looking for students who:
- Come from households with an annual family income below $30,000.
- Reside in low-income neighborhoods in Boston, Massachusetts.
- New students must be enrolled in grades 10 or 11
- Students must maintain a strong overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
What is the cost of the Minds Matter program?
Minds Matter helps students apply for financial aid awards and raises funds to supplement financial aid. Thus, the program is of no cost to the student, his/her family, or school.
When is the application deadline?
The deadline for the 2012-2013 academic school year is to be determined but we are currently accepting applications. Please contact us here for additional information on how to apply.
How and when are students notified as to whether they were accepted into the program?
Students invited to interview will be contacted by telephone shortly after they submit their applications. The time and location of the interviews have yet to be determined. Students will be notified of Minds Matter’s admissions decision by October.
How often does the Minds Matter program meet?
Minds Matter sessions are held on Saturdays from 11:30AM – 2:00PM during the school year. Sessions are not held on holidays or during school vacations. Sessions typically end during mid-May.
Where do weekly sessions take place?
Minds Matter meets at the Citizen School in the Boston Children’s Museum. Organized field trips take place throughout the year and focus on educational and team building activities such as trips to the Boston Museum of Science or college tours. These outings take place of or happen in addition to normal Saturday sessions.
What kinds of summer programs do Minds Matter students apply to?
Minds Matter students attend summer programs and get into colleges around the country. Our Prep Program students have been accepted into many top summer programs such as Choate Rosemary Hall, Cornell University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Brown and Phillips Exeter Academy. And our Senior Program students have been accepted to colleges such as MIT, Boston University, Hamilton College, Howard University, Northeastern University, Smith College, and Tufts University to name a few.
What process is used to match Minds Matter students with their mentors?
Minds Matter takes mentor/mentee matching very seriously. Volunteers and students alike are asked a series of questions during the application process as well as the interview to assess interests (hobbies, personal background, career, etc.), areas of strength, and areas of improvement so that the Directors of Mentor and Student recruiting may do their best to ensure a good match and overall experience for both the mentors and the mentee.
Do students stay with the same mentors throughout their entire Minds Matter experience?
Ideally, a mentee will have the same mentors from the day he/she starts the program until the day that he/she graduates from high school. Minds Matter does its best to assess each volunteer’s availability and match him/her accordingly. We do, however, understand that “life happens” and Minds Matter sometimes does experience turnover due to unforeseen circumstances such as job/city changes and graduate school. Luckily, Minds Matter is growing on a national level and we do often see volunteers join a different Chapter should they move to another city in which we operate. In fact, most of Minds Matter’s Chapters were started in other cities by volunteers who had to leave New York because of work and school commitments!
What criteria are taken into consideration when matching a student to a summer program?
In early spring, Minds Matter mentors begin to work with the summer programs to determine financial aid and scholarship options for each student. Based on each student’s attendance, commitment and involvement in the Program, and the scholarship money offered to each student, we work to place each student in the best summer program matched to their needs.
Who can I contact if I have other questions about being a student in the Minds Matter program?
If you have any other questions, please contact us here.