Counselors Learn to Support Students through the College Board Opportunity Scholarships

The College Board kicked off it’s 2019 Regional Forum circuit at the end of January in Boston, Massachusetts, as educators throughout the northeast gathered to learn about College Board updates, and the outstanding work of colleagues happening in their region to help students achieve their college and career goals.

One of the most recent launches by the College Board is the College Board Opportunity Scholarships – a five-year, $25 million investment designed to reward students for taking the essential steps in applying to college. All students do is join the program and begin earning chances to earn money for college by taking the following actions:

1. Build a college list on BigFuture
2. Practice for the SAT using Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy
3. Improve their score on the SAT
4. Complete the FAFSA
5. Enhance their college list in BigFuture
6. Apply to at least two colleges

Students can complete as many steps as they want but should consider completing them all. Successful completion of all six puts them in the running for a $40,000 scholarship.

Now that the program is open, it’s time for counselors and educators to know exactly how they can help their students and families take advantage. On the opening morning of the regional forum, attendees were given an in-depth look at College Board’s newest commitment to clearing a path to college for all students, and how they could get involved during the session “Counselors and the College Board Opportunity Scholarships.” “The best part about the program, is that it doesn’t require students to do anything outside of the normal steps to prepare for college applications,” said presenter Lacey Bonner, director of counselor relationship management at the College Board. She walked the audience through the programs six steps, and the abundance of resources that counselors can use to guide students and create a buzz around applying to college. Lacey continued by sharing that “We’ve found there are very specific steps students take to get there. We’re giving them that game plan to level the playing field.”

The College Board Opportunity Scholarships are open to all students. Anyone interested in more information should visit cb.org/opportunity for a detailed roadmap of the steps involved, and the potential scholarships associated with each step. Educators can access parent resources to help keep students on track and take the counselor pledge at the College Board’s Counselor website to receive a free resource kit.