Description
This mentor-guided, evidence-based training, developed by economists at UC Irvine and Dartmouth College economists Scott Carrell and Bruce Sacerdote, has been shown to increase college-going among high school seniors. Mentors are trained to provide encouragement and guidance around the college application, essays, financial aid, and more. Students who have completed these tools with their mentors are more than twice as likely to attend and remain in higher education (Carrell & Sacerdote, 2017). The program targets high school seniors who are paired with trained mentors who teach them how to complete applications and essays, apply for financial aid, prepare for standardized tests, and successfully interview. Evaluators compared this supported evidence-based approach to a lighter touch intervention, which provided students with all of the same information but no mentor. Those who worked with mentors were nearly twice as likely to attend a four-year college.
Sample skills:
- Applying to college
- Writing a strong essay
- The FAFSA Application
Source:
Carrell, S. and Sacerdote, B. Why Do College-Going Interventions Work? American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 2017, 9(3): 124–151 https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20150530
