Georgetown Reach works with rising eighth grade students and their families until they are accepted to the college or university of their choice to ensure they have access to the information and resources necessary to prepare them for success in the college search. By providing underrepresented students and families guidance and exposure to the college search, we seek to increase diversity at top-tier colleges and universities and create opportunities for our participants.
Georgetown Reach is open to rising eighth grade students from underrepresented minority backgrounds – Black/African American, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander. Applications are considered complete upon submission of the application, photography release by applicants, and one recommendation from a teacher.
Georgetown Reach is a free, four-year program offered at, and funded by, Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. The program accepts rising eighth grade students, and students remain in the program through the college application process.
The primary goal of Georgetown Reach is to increase diversity at top tier universities by preparing students from underrepresented minority (URM) groups for, and exposing them to, the wealth of opportunities at these institutions. Through a series of online webinars and in-person experiences, the program engages students and their parents or caregivers on how to successfully prepare for and be accepted by top colleges and universities to study any field of interest. Attending a top school like Georgetown University is not out of reach.
Once a student is accepted into Georgetown Reach, there is continued engagement with students and their parents or caregivers each year throughout the program. Customized programming is provided that addresses where students are in their academic career and what both students and families should be focused on at that particular time. Enrolling in Georgetown Reach ensures students have the resources needed beginning in eighth grade through the college application process.
•Welcome event to introduce students and families to Georgetown
•Parent and caregiver seminars: high school planning, meet Georgetown alumni
•Student events: meet the Georgetown students, Georgetown trivia night, campus tour with Georgetown undergrads
•Summer writing and math classes (before the start of 9th grade)
•Parent and caregiver seminars: what it takes to get into a top tier school, financial aid, Georgetown career services
•Student events: attend Georgetown sporting event, advice session with Georgetown undergrads
•One-on-one college consulting meetings with parents and students to ensure participants are on track (end of 9th grade)
•Parent and caregiver seminars: dealing with your high schooler, college admissions testing, Georgetown admissions
•Student events: financial literacy class, advice session with Georgetown undergrads, admission event
•Parent and caregiver seminars: college application process, The Common App, interview prep (students attend these seminars with their parent/caregiver)
•One-on-one college consulting meetings to prepare for applications (end of 11th grade)
•Support for completing applications as needed (complete by early October)
•Continuation of mentoring
•Celebrating college acceptances
We invite high-performing rising eighth grade students to apply who might otherwise be overlooked or miss opportunities during their high school careers due to lack of knowledge about college planning, socioeconomic status, or other societal barriers to their long-term success. The ultimate goal is to have more minority students prepared to attend universities of Georgetown’s caliber.
Georgetown Reach introduces rising eighth grade students and their families to the college selection process and college life early enough in their academic lives to positively influence choices students make in high school. Through a combination of skills workshops, informational seminars, mentorship, and on-campus experiences, Georgetown Reach participants will be both prepared and qualified to be accepted to — and succeed at — the nation’s top-tier universities. Our goal is to ensure that members of our broader community are prepared to attend the college of their choosing when the time arrives.
We are looking for undergraduate students to become volunteer mentors for rising 9th grade students in the Reach program. You will be paired with a small group of students and mentor them throughout their high school career. We ask that you support, encourage, provide active guidance, and answer any questions your mentees may have about the school. We ask the mentors to attend three yearly events on the Georgetown campus with their mentees. The program will start Fall 2021.
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Co-director of the Reach Program, George Comer has been on the finance faculty of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business since 2001. His research focuses on the performance and behavior of institutional money managers. He also serves as Director of Underrepresented (URM) Minority Student Support at the McDonough School of Business.
Why did you start Reach?
Often URM students and their families have a lot of questions about the college planning process. The goal is to provide them with information and resources so they can effectively navigate the college admissions process and make the best college choice for themselves.
Co-Director of the Reach Program, Bonnie Montano has been on the operations faculty of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business since 2001. She teaches and has conducted research in the areas of decision sciences, data and information management, and computational modeling, and she has served as a principal (or co-principal) investigator on several federally funded research grants.
Why did you start Reach?
I am genuinely interested in supporting the increase of diversity on campus. I help with undergraduate admissions and noticed there simply are not enough diverse applicants. Georgetown Reach will ensure that the many talented URM students in our community are aware of the steps they can take in high school to be prepared to apply to schools like Georgetown.
