We prepare students for selective colleges by helping you build awareness of your options, providing you weekly guidance, and supporting you to build confidence in yourself.
100% of our students are accepted to a 4-year college, and 100% graduate from college within 4 years.
Students
About Our Program
Students begin Minds Matter Bay Area as high school Sophomores and spend three years in the program. If you are selected to participate, you will attend weekly sessions on Saturdays during the school year. Each session is 4 hours. The first 2 hours are focused on classroom instruction and test prep. The latter 2 hours are focused on mentorship, academic and career exploration, and social-emotional learning.
Hear mentee alumnus Benton’s story.
Our curriculum and community is focused on ensuring you are accepted to, have the financial means to attend, and graduate from top colleges all over the country. Our program embeds career exploration into each year of your high school curriculum, and helps you access multiple hands-on academic and career opportunities during high school and through college. By doing so, we help you secure a pathway toward careers of your dreams.
As an MMBay Mentee, you will access the following (at no cost to you):
Weekly Sessions with Two Dedicated Mentors You will be paired with two dedicated young professional volunteers who will act as your mentors. Mentors provide support throughout the school year, coaching you through professional development workshops, summer program and college applications, personal statement writing, and more. Mentors are also a critical part of your support system, so the more you invest in building this relationship, the more you will learn and gain from this meaningful and unique friendship.
Funded Summer Learning Experiences MMBay provides funding for students to attend academic summer programs across the US in your Sophomore summer, and to participate in career exploration workshops and internships in your Junior summer. The academic summer programs help you get a glimpse of college campus life, and allow you to deepen your exploration of an academic subject or career path such as psychology, computer science, biology, medicine, business, filmmaking, and architecture. You can take courses at college campuses like Boston University, Georgetown, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, UC Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley, and UCLA (just to name a few). The career exploration workshops and internships help you gain hands-on experience in an industry and workplace that interests you. Some students choose to participate in research internships with university professors, rotational internships at private equity companies, and career panels at local tech companies.
Communication and Presentation Skill Development MMBay provides opportunities for you to cultivate communication and presentation skills that are critical to navigating academic, professional, and social settings. Through discussions and debates about current events and articles, interview workshops, presentation practice, essay writing, and much more—you will develop critical skills for success in college, career, and life.
Weekly SAT or ACT Preparation In our test prep program, you’ll focus on either the ACT or SAT and receive small-group instruction, using both online and traditional test prep resources. On average, our students see a significant increase in their test performance after participating in the program—on average a 230-point gain from the fall of their Sophomore year to the fall of their Senior year.
Individualized Support With College Applications From UCs to CSUs to non-California public to private schools across the US, 100% of MMBay’s mentee graduates have earned acceptance at 4-year colleges. Your mentors and financial aid advisors will help you set high expectations and strategically apply to schools that match your academic goals and are best positioned to provide high levels of financial aid. You’ll be guided through the application process with personal statement workshops, consistent feedback on your target schools, and financial aid consultation.
“Minds Matter Bay Area and my mentors gave me exposure to dreams that I didn’t know I could have.”
Susanna L.
MMBay Class of 2021
Claremont McKenna College Class of 2025
Alumni
Where Our Alumni Go to College
100% of our students have been accepted to a four year college. Here is a sampling of schools that our graduates are attending:
Boston College
Bryn Mawr College
Cal Poly Pomona
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Carnegie Mellon University
Fordham University
Gonzaga University
Hamilton College
Harvard University
Harvey Mudd College
Kalamazoo College
Kenyon College
Lewis & Clark College
Middlebury College
Northwestern University
St. Olaf College
Santa Clara University
Stanford University
Temple University
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Davis
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Riverside
University of California, San Diego
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Merced
University of Chicago
University of Notre Dame
University of the Pacific
University of Pennsylvania
University of Portland
University of Redlands
University of San Francisco
University of Southern California
Whitman College
Yale University
Boston College Bryn Mawr College Cal Poly Pomona Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Carnegie Mellon University Fordham University Gonzaga University Hamilton College Harvard University Harvey Mudd College Kalamazoo College Kenyon College Lewis & Clark College Middlebury College Northwestern University St. Olaf College Santa Clara University Stanford University Temple University University of California, Berkeley University of California, Davis University of California, Irvine University of California, Los Angeles University of California, Riverside University of California, San Diego University of California, Santa Barbara University of California, Santa Cruz University of California, Merced University of Chicago University of Notre Dame University of the Pacific University of Pennsylvania University of Portland University of Redlands University of San Francisco University of Southern California Whitman College Yale University
“Minds Matter prepared me for Harvard and beyond; I'm back as a mentor to open doors for others.”
Benton L.
MMBay Class of 2016
Harvard University Class of 2020