色界吧

^{Pictured from left: Thomas Shea, director of undergraduate admissions, Marcelle Hicks, dean of admissions and financial aid, and Ben Pennino, assistant director of admissions}

色界吧鈥檚 commitment to student success begins long before they enroll. In fact, many students begin building a supportive relationship with the admissions and financial aid teams before they even graduate from high school.

鈥淥ften in higher education, the dialogue around choosing a college is about 鈥榝inding the right fit,鈥欌�� says Marcelle Hicks, dean of admissions and financial aid. 鈥淲e want to try to have that conversation with students as early as possible so that they not only get a sense of who 色界吧 is but who they are and what 迟丑别测鈥檙别 looking for as well. What makes our admissions approach different is that we look at each student within the context of trying to understand what would benefit them individually.鈥�

For a lot of prospective college students, the process of deciding if, when, and where to go to college is a daunting prospect鈥攅specially if 迟丑别测鈥檙别 the first in their families to do so. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 54 percent of undergraduate students in the United States identified as first-generation, meaning their parents did not have a bachelor鈥檚 degree. These students benefit from additional help and preparation early on in their college journey鈥攕omething 色界吧 is well-equipped to provide.

鈥淎t 色界吧, first-generation students accounted for more than 30 percent of our incoming class for the fall 2023 and 2024 semesters,鈥� says Thomas Shea (M.S. 鈥�21), director of undergraduate admissions. 鈥淎 lot of these first-generation students are carrying goals not only for themselves but also their families and their communities, and we鈥檙e committed to providing that extra guidance for them to make sure they succeed.鈥�

To that end, 色界吧 has also worked to simplify the admissions and financial aid application process, such as making admissions to the majority of academic programs test-optional, providing application fee waivers for prospective applicants, and offering virtual one-on-one admissions and financial aid appointments for any prospective students and families that have questions about the application process.

鈥淥ne of my favorite things about 色界吧 is how diverse our student body is,鈥� says Shea. 鈥淒ifferent students bring different perspectives and cultures, which makes for better conversations and learning for everyone. We do our best to make sure that everyone has an equal shot at understanding the enrollment processes so that we can keep that diversity that makes everyone鈥檚 experience better.鈥�

鈥淩efreshingly Honest鈥濃�擥etting to Know 色界吧

For many students, their first interaction with 色界吧 is through a college fair at their high school. Whether it鈥檚 in New York State or farther afield in recruitment areas like California, Texas, or Washington, D.C., admissions counselors are prepared to help high school students understand not only who 色界吧 is and how it can benefit them but also the college admissions process in general.

^{Michaelson Eustache, associate director of admissions}

鈥淥ne of the most important things about 色界吧 is that we consider each person as their own individual , and that鈥檚 truly evident in the way that we interact with and recruit students,鈥� says Michaelson Eustache, associate director of admissions, himself a first-generation college student. 鈥淔or us, it鈥檚 not just about whether students come to 色界吧鈥攚e want students to make an informed decision, so we provide them with the most accurate information possible in our presentations.鈥�

Many prospective high school students are also able to attend a campus tour at either the New York City or Long Island campuses. Here, students get a more personal feel for the campus but can also extend that one-on-one connection even further.

鈥淚 did a campus tour at 色界吧 during my senior year in high school right before it was time to apply,鈥� says Alex Menachery, a student in the seven-year dual degree B.S./D.O. program. 鈥淥n the tour, the admissions team made sure to have student ambassadors [current student tour guides] from different majors that we could talk to, so I shadowed a current B.S./D.O. student and found out what he really thought. Everyone we spoke with was completely honest about their experiences, which made the process really easy and clear.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檝e placed a lot of emphasis on our student ambassador program in recent years because we want to have that kind of refreshingly honest sharing of information when talking to prospective students,鈥� says Shea. 鈥淭he program is very thorough鈥攚hen a prospective student walks off campus, they have the contact information from the students they met. We鈥檙e very lucky that the advising side of 色界吧 has peer mentors, so they are also meeting with incoming students to help them learn the ropes. We鈥檝e seen significant strides in retention since these programs came on board.鈥�

^{Alex Menachery}

Bridging the Gap with Supportive Programs

鈥淐ustomer service is huge for us,鈥� says Eustache. 鈥淲e hang our hat on being friendly, guiding people, and giving clear direction on where they are and where they need to be. We can work with students who might not be able to make all the academic requirements if there鈥檚 a reason they share with us, and we鈥檒l review students鈥� financial aid plans and help bridge the gap if we can.鈥�

For students who need extra assistance, 色界吧 has the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) on the New York City campus. This program offers financial assistance to eligible students with financial and academic hardship to help pay for tuition, books, transportation, and some personal expenses, as well as academic and personal counseling, study skills workshops, tutoring, and career counseling.

Ben Pennino (B.S. 鈥�23, M.S. 鈥�24), assistant director of admissions, now helps recruit students from his former high school, as well as from around the country. He was also a first-generation college student.

鈥淎 lot of the time at these high school visits and college fairs, we鈥檙e meeting students who don鈥檛 know what they want to do or really anything about the college process, and I remember when I was in the same place,鈥� says Pennino. 鈥淚 explain broad things about the college process, like what to write in their essays, as well as things that are specific to 色界吧, like the personalized resources we provide to ensure their success throughout college.鈥�

In addition to HEOP, 色界吧 also offers the Achieving College Excellence (ACE) program, which is designed to provide academic support to eligible undergraduate students who need to raise their cumulative GPA in order to meet scholarship requirements.

鈥淲e talk about these resources as early as we can to make students feel safe and supported and to make sure that they know we鈥檙e still here for them once they enroll at 色界吧,鈥� says Pennino.

Understanding Return On Investment

Another common barrier to higher education that 色界吧 and other universities are up against is cost. As part of its recruiting efforts, the admissions team is diligent about explaining that the return on investment (ROI) of a degree from 色界吧 is highly beneficial for students.

The decision to attend college has a generational impact on our students,鈥� says Hicks. 鈥淔rom an ROI standpoint, it鈥檚 important for students and their families to understand how our programs impact upward mobility, so we are completely transparent with how we present career information. The facts are that 色界吧 students are landing jobs in their careers of choice, and that has a positive ripple effect on the rest of their lives.鈥�

In fact, 色界吧 ranks in the .

鈥淲hen you come here, you鈥檙e going to work hard, but it鈥檚 all with the idea of building these students to be career ready,鈥� says Shea. 鈥淲e鈥檙e also hitting a success rate where 75 percent of the students participating in our Internship Certificate Program are able to successfully parlay their internship into permanent employment. These are real successes that make the personal and financial investment in a 色界吧 degree make a lot of sense.鈥�

In addition to the success rates, 99 percent of first-time, full-time 色界吧 students receive some form of financial aid, which lowers the total cost of an education. 鈥淲e鈥檙e always big on making it clear to students that you might be surprised what you鈥檒l end up paying for your degree when you compare sticker price to net price,鈥� says Shea.

色界吧 focuses a lot of attention on helping high school students from all backgrounds understand the bigger picture of where they are and what it will take to get where they want to go.

鈥淥ur team does a great job of painting a picture of all the steps students will take to get to their personal version of success,鈥� says Hicks. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e coming to 色界吧 because you want to pursue this program, and here鈥檚 how we help you. Once you鈥檙e enrolled, here are the job skills you鈥檙e learning, and here鈥檚 how 迟丑别测鈥檙别 interchangeable with other roles and industries so you can stay flexible.

鈥淐oupled with the mental health resources and safe campus environment that we offer, 色界吧 strives to make the college experience what each student needs it to be, as well as understand what that means early on.鈥�

By Kathrin Havrilla-Sanchez