Let's Get Ready

Let's Get Ready envisions a future when students from all socioeconomic backgrounds have the support they need to attain a college education.

THE MISSION of Let’s Get Ready is to expand college access for motivated, low-income high school students by providing FREE SAT preparation and college admission counseling.

Let’s Get Ready accomplishes this mission by enlisting college student volunteers who serve as Coaches in the program providing not only SAT instruction, but the inspiration, enthusiasm and confidence to go to college as well. Utilizing these college students as the organization’s backbone enables Let’s Get Ready to provide our high school participants with the mentoring power of our college student volunteers as well as invaluable help with the entire college application process in a cost-efficient manner.

THE MODEL is results-driven and scalable. Each Let’s Get Ready program is run by partnering with colleges, community organizations, and/or high schools. Volunteer college students are recruited, trained, and provided with teaching materials from The College Board and Testtakers, a commercial SAT preparation company. The high school participants are placed into ability-based classes of no more than 5 students per Coach, and receive intensive SAT instruction. The Coaches also provide assistance with college selection, application essays and financial aid/scholarships. The programs run for 9 consecutive weeks during the spring, fall or summer.

IMPRESSIVE RESULTS!
• 92% of Let’s Get Ready high school participants go directly from high school to college versus 47% of low-income students nationally.
• Let’s Get Ready students increase their SAT scores on average by 110 points.
• Let’s Get Ready’s program is FREE for its students, while commercial courses range in price from $1,200 -$5,000.
• Let’s Get Ready has helped over 10,000 low-income high school students get into college and engaged over 4,000 college students in meaningful service learning experiences.
• Many Let’s Get Ready high school students RETURN to the program as Coaches and directors.

HISTORY
In 1998, a Harvard undergraduate recognized that low-income high school students often lack the critical resources they need to apply to college and created Let’s Get Ready. That summer she enrolled 40 participants and 20 college student volunteers in a Mount Vernon, NY, church basement. Since then with the help of generous supporters, Let’s Get Ready has partnered with over 30 colleges and universities and grown exponentially. This year Let’s Get Ready will serve over 2,300 students in 57 programs in the Northeast.