PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A brand new program has Brown University and Providence Public Schools linking up, with the hope of making it easier than ever for students to go to college.
The Brown Collegiate Scholars program will take two dozen students from across the Providence Public School District (PPSD) and provide year-round support on their journey to college.
Officials say that applying to college can be difficult, everything from finding the right school to filling out the right application and figuring out how you’re going to afford an education.
But for those few dozen students in Providence, the process could get much easier.
“For me, it would have been revolutionary. You know I had to do it the hard way. And these kids will also have to do it work, of course, but we will give them the opportunity to avoid a lot of the pitfalls that my generation ran into,” explained Program Director Nick Figueroa.
The Brown Collegiate Scholars program will provide the group of 9th graders and their families four years of support, completely free of charge.
The program includes everything from classes, workshops, counseling and tutoring by Brown University staff and alumni, as well as financial literacy support for families with things like the FAFSA.
“The roadblocks usually comes in the spring of the senior year. Once a student has decided on which institution they would like to attend, once that final paperwork needs to be signed. Many parents don’t or may not have the full extent of knowledge to know what type of financial situation they may be getting themselves into,” Figueroa continued.
The program is set to start in the summer of 2024 and is split into two sections.
The first two years help students learn academic skills like studying, time management, and social-emotional skills, while the junior and senior years focus on college counseling, financial aid work, and career exploration.
“To join a prestigious university and be able to be paired with not only college students but with college counselors in the process of getting ready to apply to college? I think there’s a lot of barriers that would be unlocked for me personally,” said Scott Sutherland with Providence Public Schools.
Figueroa said the program is open to any incoming 9th grader at Providence Public Schools.
“The focus for us will be on not necessarily the top tier students, but students who are middle of the road, who have a GPA that can be improved on, attendance that can be improved on. With the hope that we can impact that over the course of the four years that they’re in the program,” Figueroa continued.
Applications open in February 2024, and the program is expected to begin next summer.