Onward and Upward

YOFHS College Guidance Introduces New and Reimagined Programming

The YOF college advisors share a strong desire to deepen students’ and parents’ understanding of the college admission process. This year, we welcomed over 30 college visitors to campus in the fall to meet with members of the Class of 2020 while Mr. Jonathan Williams, Assistant Vice President of Admissions at New York University, graciously joined us for Junior College Kickoff with the Class of 2021 in December.

In an effort to be more present and available for the entire high school community, the College Guidance Department continued its successful, weekly “College in the Café” initiative this year and saw an increase in traffic and meaningful interactions over its premiere year. College in the Café provides an easily accessible space for all Flatbush students to get better acquainted with the college guidance team members during their lunch period and ask any questions they may have.

Sophomore students in the Class of 2022 received a formal introduction to college admissions during classroom presentations last fall as well as a Sophomore College Night program that welcomed an expert guest speaker, Ms. Nina Kao from Compass Education Group. Compass is one of the nation’s leading test prep agencies.

Seeking to maintain communication with students and continue to provide access to planned programming during the COVID-19 pandemic, the office transitioned the annual Junior College Fair and Information Night program to a highly successful, fullyonline event. Nearly 40 colleges and universities participated—on Zoom— at the first-ever Virtual College Night. They met with members of both the Classes of 2021 and 2022 to offer advice and encouragement on navigating college admissions both in the context of the current global crisis as well as the general competitive admissions climate. The college guidance team also used the distance learning period to introduce a new initiative for all high school parents to meet members of the department.

Also new for the rising senior Class of 2021, the college guidance advisors organized and implemented a four-day essay workshop to help our students get a jumpstart on their all-important college essays.

Via Zoom, participants explored everything from deciphering essay prompts, to reading sample essays and drafting their own, to overcoming one of the major hurdles in writing an essay—getting started! In addition to lively and productive group activities and discussions, counselors also met one-on-one with participants to offer feedback on their drafts or help with putting their initial thoughts on paper.

At its peak, 40 students participated in the essay-writing workshop, which exceeded the team’s expectations for this very engaging and thoroughly pleasant inaugural program.

Although the style in which the college advisors met with all of the students had to be adapted to the current COVID-19 crisis, we are incredibly grateful to have gotten to know the senior Class of 2020 and look forward to witnessing their successes at college and beyond. We look forward to continuing to build our relationships with students and families in the Classes of 2021 and 2022.

Congratulations!

These seniors were recognized in some of the nation’s most competitive programs:

Richard Sasson

U.S. Presidential Scholars Semi-Finalist

Class of 2020 College Acceptances

The 131 members of the Class of 2020 received admission offers from 57 institutions and will enroll in 25 of those schools between Fall 2020 and Fall 2021. Bold type indicates where this year’s graduates will enroll.

Arizona State University

Barnard College Baruch College (CUNY)

Bentley University

Binghamton University (SUNY)

Borough of Manhattan Community College (CUNY)

Brooklyn College (CUNY)

City College of New York (CUNY)

College of Charleston College of Staten Island (CUNY) Columbia University The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science & Art Drexel University Fashion Institute of Technology

Florida State University Fordham University Guttman Community College (CUNY) Hofstra University

Hunter College (CUNY) John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY) Johns Hopkins University Kingsborough Community College (CUNY)

Lehman College (CUNY)

LIM College Long Island University Macaulay Honors College (CUNY) Marymount Manhattan College

Medgar Evers College (CUNY) Monmouth University

Muhlenberg College

New York City College of Technology (CUNY)

New York University

Pace University Pennsylvania State University Queens College (CUNY) Queensborough Community College (CUNY) Rutgers University Stevens Institute of Technology Stony Brook University (SUNY)

Swarthmore College

Temple University

The New School Touro College

University at Albany (SUNY) University of California, San Diego University of Central Florida University of Connecticut University of Hartford

University of Maryland

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

University of Michigan University of Pittsburgh University of Washington Wagner College Xavier University

Yeshiva University

York College (CUNY)

Reuven Goldstein

Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship Winner Naval ROTC Scholarship Recipient