By Jimmy Liu, Xander, staff writer
College applications can be very stressful for seniors. Most are unsure about which colleges are the best fit for them or which colleges have the best programs for their future career. What many seniors don’t realize is that there is a free program at Galileo that helps seniors with this process, including help with college applications, fee waivers as well as provides workshops on different colleges.
Seniors can go to room 209 at lunch on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, as well as the 260 computer lab on Wednesdays and Thursdays after school to get help on any college issues. Ms. Kristin Tatum, who has been at Galileo for 5 years, is responsible for running the JCYC, a government funded program that supports students, particularly seniors, at Galileo.
Kristin is available to answer questions about how to fill out the application as well as help students brainstorm about their college essays. She will also help edit drafts. “I encourage students to start early and to break the application into parts and work on one section at a time to make it less overwhelming. Remember that going to college is worth it even when the process is hard and ask for help if students have questions.” said Kristin.
Additionally, just by joining the JCYC program, students are provided free fee waivers that allows them to apply to 4 UC campuses. JCYC will also provide a fee waiver to take the SAT twice for free, as long as a senior is applying to a private college that requires the SAT.
Seniors have nothing but positive things to say about how much Kristin has been a help during this college process. “JCYC sure helped me a lot, I got a fee waiver that saves me money for applying to college,” said senior Andy X. Senior Michael L. added, “I got help filling out FAFSA and college applications, it would take me way more time than doing it on my own.”
For students who have questions or want help, Ms. Kristin Tatum is also available by email or text (ktatum@jcyc.org) or 415.685.3187.
