Programs & Services
College Success Coaching at School Sites
Cal-SOAP currently has over 30 College Success Coaches placed at 22 partner high school sites to support high school seniors in three areas: 1) Higher Education Awareness & Access 2) Financial Aid Awareness & Access and 3) Career Exploration & Planning. College Success Coaches are assigned to a partner school site and commit for a minimum of 1 academic year to mentor high school seniors as they prepare for life after high school. This is made possible by working closely with high school site staff & leadership, higher education partners, and local community partners. College Success Coaches are each present at their respective high school campus an average of 20 hours per week to provide one-on-one student support, host workshops, facilitate guest speakers and support other campus activities that help increase student access, and success in higher education.
College Success Coaches are typically college students themselves (in either an undergraduate or graduate program). They encourage students to be academically successful and help them set high academic and professional goals. College Success Coaches are supervised by Site Coordinators, usually a high school counselor or other school administrator, and overseen by the Cal-SOAP Field Advisor.
Higher Education Awareness & Access
The Southern San Joaquin Valley Consortium assists students with:
- Understanding A-G requirements
- Transcript review
- Reviewing institution types, requirements and cost
- Choosing a major/program of study
- Creating a college plan
- Writing college personal statements (PIQ’s)
- Post-secondary education applications
- Transitioning to post-secondary institutions
Higher Education Awareness & Access
The Southern San Joaquin Valley Consortium assists students with:
- Understanding A-G requirements
- Transcript review
- Reviewing institution types, requirements and cost
- Choosing a major/program of study
- Creating a college plan
- Writing college personal statements (PIQ’s)
- Post-secondary education applications
- Transitioning to post-secondary institutions
Financial Aid Awareness & Access
The Southern San Joaquin Valley Consortium assists students with:
- Understanding the different types of financial aid
- Completing forms required to access financial aid
- Understanding comprehensive college expenses
- Budgeting for college
- Scholarship search & applications
- Applying for FAFSA/CADAA
Career Exploration & Planning
The Southern San Joaquin Valley Consortium assists students with:
- Career exploration
- Exploring the local job market
- Resume writing
- Creating a career plan
Three Immediate Ways to Connect with a Cal-SOAP College Success Coach:
- Reach out to your College Success Coach directly by visiting our directory!
- Get a head start on your senior year checklist by participating in a Cal-SOAP Boot Camp the summer before your senior year! Reach out to your high school counselor and/or your College Success Coach to register and learn more. Space is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.
- Are you a senior that just graduated from high school and still have some pending items before starting college in the fall? Reach out to your College Success Coach for Summer Melt support. Summer Melt programming is offered each June to help recent high school grads prepare for college. Get a head start on your first year of college by participating in a Cal-SOAP Summer Melt program the summer after you graduate high school! Reach out to your high school counselor and/or your College Success Coach to register and learn more. Space is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.
