Celebrating 20 Years of Impact
Yes, it is entirely free to apply to become a Thrive Scholar and free to participate in all aspects of our program. This includes our two mandatory summer academies where we pay for transportation, food, dorms- everything, We even give you a $500 stipend at the end of the summer for participating. Once enrolled, we also offer our Scholars yearly $1,000 bridge stipends to help meet costs not covered by financial aid. Learn more about everything we offer and how to apply here.
Once accepted, high school juniors commit to our six-year program, designed to ensure your success in college and beyond. In college, Scholars participate in required coaching and activities that help strengthen your academics, support your wellbeing, connect you with community, and position you for your career. Scholars remain active in our program through their college graduation — at which point they then join our growing alumni network.
Thrive Scholars reviews applications holistically. However, students who are accepted into the program typically meet the following criteria:
Summer Academy occurs during the late June to early August period each summer. More details are provided as we finalize the details in the spring.
Scholars accepted into the Core Program are required to attend the first session of the summer academy while not being required to attend the second session of the summer academy should they have a professional, collegiate, or otherwise communicated scheduling conflict.
In round one of our two-phase process, applicants tell us about themselves, including academics, finances, interests, and aspirations.
If you are invited to round two, you will be asked to provide additional academic and personal information, two letters of recommendation, and complete an interview in February 2023.
Final admission decisions will be made in early April 2023. All applicants will receive a notification via email of admissions decisions throughout the process.
Yes, Thrive Scholars accepts and supports students in our Core Pathway who are interested in any major. In addition to our core program components, we also have two specialized tailored programs for high school juniors interested in STEM or Law. The STEM and Law pathways provide Scholars with the supports needed to thrive specifically in these careers. If you are interested in STEM or Law, learn more about our specific support here.
Whether you apply to a pathway or not will not impact your likelihood of becoming a Thrive Scholar. If you are undecided, our core program may be the best fit for you. If you are interested in STEM or Law, applying to one of these pathways is a great way to learn more about the opportunities in those fields. If both tracks are appealing, we encourage you to be thoughtful about your interests, consider where you would like to focus your learning and efforts, and apply to the one you would most like to pursue. You are welcome to note your second choice in the optional part of the application which is open for additional information.
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Interested volunteers start the process by completing the inquiry form. Volunteers who complete the form will be contacted by a staff member when our Mentor Application opens in March of 2022, with most mentor matching to take place over the late summer and early fall.
We welcome mentors with a diverse range of backgrounds with regard to their geography, industry, career stage, race/ethnicity, etc. However, all mentors must be able to satisfy the program participation requirements, and must demonstrate:
We match around various factors, including personality, desired goals/objectives of the mentoring experience, academic and professional interests/industry, geography, participant preferences, and more.
Great! You can indicate this on your enrollment form, and we can discuss both tracks in your interview.
This can vary depending on which of our mentoring tracks you are taking part in. On average, we recommend planning on 2-4 hours per month.
Please let your Thrive Scholars staff contact know – they are here to provide support and help you and your Scholar identify additional resources.
You don’t have to. You two have the option to remain an active match in our Mentorship program: receiving ongoing resources and support, and committing to communication at least monthly with each other and quarterly with our staff.
If that is not the right fit for you, you two are also welcome to transition to an informal context, keeping in touch independently in the ways that work for you.
We love to see mentoring relationships continue as our Scholars become Thrive alumni! These relationships often become fruitful components of mentors’ and Scholars’ professional networks. You and your Scholar are welcome to continue communicating and working together in the ways that work for you.
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