Perimeter College Initiative Gives Students Insight into College Admissions Process

ELLENWOOD, Ga. — Atlanta-area high school students and their parents received a crash course in the college admissions process, thanks to the Center for Outreach, Research and Engagement (CORE) at Georgia State University’s Perimeter College.

The CORE-sponsored symposium took place in early February at the Cedar Grove High School cafeteria, where event organizers set the tables with books, pens and notebooks, providing attendees with the necessary tools to understand the college admissions process.

Students and parents filled the room, eager to learn, with college admissions advisors from local schools on hand to answer questions.

The program featured several guest speakers.

Dr. Rebecca Kaplan, a Docent admissions consultant, emphasized the importance of the college admissions essay.

"The essay is your opportunity, and yours alone, to give voice to the story of who you have been, who you are now and who you hope to become," she said.

Kaplan encouraged all students to tell their stories boldly and authentically, even if some may find writing a college admissions essay daunting.

Timothy Fields and Shareem Herndon-Brown, authors of "The Black Family's Guide to College Admissions: A Conversation about Education, Parenting, and Race," also spoke at the event.

The pair offered advice on redefining success in the college admissions process, stressing that attending an Ivy League school is not necessary to make a positive impact on the world.

 "We must remind ourselves and our children that money does not equal success," they noted.

"The most famous Black people in our country who attended college graduated from all kinds of schools."

Ronshavius Strozier, CORE assistant director of outreach, expressed satisfaction with the symposium.

"I hope that families walk away with practical tools to guide conversations around college admissions and create actionable timelines for turning plans into reality,” she said.

Story by Jeria Barnes