MENTORING FOR SUCCESS
FIELD TRIP ACTIVITY
VISIT A COLLEGE CAMPUS
OBJECTIVE:
To enhance students’ motivation to achieve
academically, and to educate students about
continuing education opportunities.
TIME: 3-6 Hours
PREPARATION:
If there is a Gear Up Coordinator at your school check in to see how you can collaborate to get
student mentees involved in college preparatory program activities.
See list of local colleges and universities attached. Many of these institutions are easily
accessible by public transportation.
Contact a local college to schedule a day to visit with your mentors and mentees.
Distribute Parent Permission forms 2 weeks prior to the scheduled visit.
Plan for transportation
INSTRUCTION:
Take your mentee to the college or university. Tour the campus, and explore areas of the
campus that would be of particular interest to the mentee.
POST-VISIT DISCUSSION:
What did you like/dislike about visiting the college?
What questions did the visit bring up for you?
How did it feel to be on the campus?
Review “Planning Ahead--Developing an Outline for your College Portfolio.”
Have mentors and mentees develop a list of the student’s strengths that could be used to take
steps (short term and long term) toward graduating and getting into college.
Distribute template for a portfolio and have mentors help students complete it
The visit may also be followed up by mentors and students completing either the “Dare to
Dream” activity or “Defining Your Goals” on their own.
Comprehensive List of Bay Area Colleges, Universities, and Seminaries
Public
University of California, Berkeley
Los Medanos College
Berkeley City College
Mission College
Cabrillo College
Napa Community College
California Maritime Academy
Ohlone College
California State University, East Bay (Hayward)
San José City College
Cañada College
San Francisco State University
Chabot College
San José State University
City College of San Francisco
Santa Rosa Junior College
College of Marin
Sonoma State University
College of San Mateo
Skyline College
Contra Costa College
Solano Community College
De Anza College
West Valley College
Diablo Valley College
University of California, Berkeley
Evergreen Valley College
University of California, Hastings College of Law
Foothill College
University of California, San Francisco
Laney College
University of California, Santa Cruz
Las Positas College
Private
Stanford University
Academy of Art University
Ex'pression College for Digital Arts
American College of Traditional Chinese
Fashion Institute of Design and
Medicine
Merchandising
Art Institute of California, San Francisco
Five Branches Institute
The Arts Institute International
Golden Gate University
California College of the Arts
Holy Names University
California Culinary Academy
International Technological University
California Institute of Integral Studies
Menlo College
Carnegie Mellon West
Mills College
Cogswell Polytechnical College
National Hispanic University
Culinary Institute of America at Greystone
New College of California
DeVry University
Notre Dame de Namur University
Dominican University
Pacific Union College
Patten University
Presidio School of Management
Saint Mary's College of California
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Santa Clara University
Stanford University
Touro University
University of San Francisco
University of Northern California
Seminaries
American Baptist Seminary of the West
The Church Divinity School of the Pacific (Episcopal)
Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology
Franciscan School of Theology
Fuller Northern California
Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary
Graduate Theological Union
Institute of Buddhist Studies
Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences
Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley
Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (ELCA, Berkeley)
Pacific School of Religion (UCC, Disciples & Methodist)
Saint Patrick Seminary
San Francisco Theological Seminary (Presbyterian)
Starr King School for the Ministry (Unitarian Universalist)
Planning Ahead – Developing an Outline for your College Portfolio
Understanding the basic tips below will help students plan for their high school
years to prepare them well for college.
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What you do while in high school matters! Choose courses wisely, do your best,
attempt honors/AP level courses if you can, and don't blow off your senior year.
If you're interested in extra-curricular activities, pick one or two activities and stick
with them—don't overdo, especially if your grades start slipping. If you're not
interested in anything in particular, find that one activity you can do, and make
sure you do it well.
It’s very likely you're going to have to take a standardized admissions test. Plan
for it. Prepare for it. Do your best and keep on going.
Apply to a school that fits you. Start your search early and have your final list of
potentials ready by senior year.
Carefully prepare your application and all supporting materials. Put a lot of
thought into what you're going to say, draft it, then complete it.
Essays and personal statements count.
Letters of recommendation are still popular, even if not necessarily “required.”
Interviews matter. Prepare for them!
Apply for financial aid, even if you don't think you'll qualify.
Consider preparing your application and other materials using a thematic
approach. Focus on a few key points that represent you the student and make
sure those points appear wherever appropriate throughout the application.
Knowing the above information, here are a few ideas that a student may want to
do while in Middle School.
 Learn and practice organizational and study skills. Develop a regular schedule
for study time and play (extracurricular activity) time.
 Take some time to get to know yourself and your personal strengths so you may
build on them
 Explore things that interest you—join a youth group, club, or neighborhood group
 Practice interviewing by meeting adults, getting a summer or after school job, or
volunteering in the community (church, neighborhood, political candidates, social
issue, etc.)
 Talk to the adults you meet about their college experience and their career;
attend career days at your school or local community college.
 If you’re an artist keep a portfolio of your art, music, writing, etc.; enter contests
and try to get your work published in the school newspaper, online forums, etc.
 Develop relationships with adults such as volunteer coordinators, school
counselors, coaches, mentors, and employers so you will have people to write
you letters of reference in the future.
 Keep a list of any awards you get
Portfolio of:
______________________________________________________________________
First Name
Last Name
Personal Interests:
What do you really care about in the world? In your community?
______________________________________________________________________
What makes you mad enough to take action?
______________________________________________________________________
What makes you excited enough to get involved?
______________________________________________________________________
Extracurricular Activities:
For example: Music, Sports, Clubs, Theatre, etc.
______________________________________________________________________
Awards and Things that I’m Good At:
People skills, languages you speak, computer skills, etc.
______________________________________________________________________
Jobs Held:
For example: Baby sitting, volunteer jobs, regular odd jobs, or summer or after school employment.
______________________________________________________________________
References:
Name and phone numbers of at least three people who know you well, and how they know you.
For example coaches, teachers, family friends, employers, counselors, volunteer coordinators
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
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