Each year, YES Prep hosts its annual IMPACT Institute for rising seniors to learn about applying to highly selective colleges and interact with college representatives from YES Prep’s IMPACT partners.  Started in 2006, the IMPACT program is a partnership between YES Prep and participating colleges and universities, where students with a 3.4+ GPA are invited to participate.

After two years of the IMPACT program being online due to COVID-19, YES Prep was finally able to host the IMPACT Institute in person again on June 9 and 10 at YES Prep Southside Secondary.

Over these two days, approximately 200 rising seniors and family members had the opportunity to meet the college admissions officers who may be reading the applications when they apply to college this fall.

Students gain insight into the college admission process

At IMPACT Institute students and their families had the opportunity participate in a variety of programs to help them better understand the college application process. 

One program was having the opportunity to observe a mock admissions committee meeting where students got to see how admissions officers evaluate students’ applications, as the officers reviewed real examples of college applications. This allowed students to see what it is like for the admissions representatives to review college applications, including the amount of time they have to review the application.

Thanks to this activity, students understand the steps they need to take to make their applications stand out in a competitive environment.

Students also had the opportunity to receive feedback on the drafts of their personal essays for their college applications by admissions officers who will be reading the essays this fall.

Families learn more about the admission process too

For the family members who attended the IMPACT Institute, they had the opportunity to learn about different aspects of the college application process. For many of our students who will be the first in their families to go to college, the college admissions representatives in attendance helped them learn about aspects of the admissions process that are often not apparent, like the benefits of applying to college early decision.

Finally, students and their families had the opportunity to participate in a small college fair.  IMPACT Partners in attendance included: Bates College, Boston University, Claremont McKenna College, College of Saint Benedict | Saint John’s University, George Washington University, Kenyon College, Lycoming College, Macalester College, Rhodes College, Scripps College, St. Olaf College, Trinity University, Washington and Jefferson College, Whitman College, Carleton College, Johns Hopkins University, Rice University, University of Rochester, University of Virginia, and Vanderbilt University.

IMPACT Institute is just the beginning

For the students who participated, the IMPACT Institute was the kickstart of the college application process. Many will apply to IMPACT institutions this fall and attend college at highly selective colleges across the United States in the fall of 2023. 

YES Prep’s IMPACT program continues to support our seniors as they consider and apply to IMPACT colleges including a follow-up program, IMPACT Saturday which will occur this October.

Are you interested in learning more about IMPACT? If you are a senior, or the family member of a senior, or if you have a 3.4 GPA and did not attend IMPACT Institute, please speak with your college counselor about the IMPACT Program.

Click here to learn more about YES Prep’s IMPACT program >