• Many low-income high school students lack the resources to compete effectively for admission to colleges and universities.

• Colleges and universities are very interested in admitting students from low-income backgrounds, but have difficulty identifying and attracting them.

Admission Possible: A Brief History

1999-2000
Jim McCorkell began to put his ideas into motion – traveling from Boston monthly and later working out of the spare bedroom in his apartment, he picked a name and a logo for the organization, recruited a Board of Directors, put together a business plan and a website, and began fundraising for the as-yet-to-exist Admission Possible.

2000-2001
In January of 2001, Admission Possible moved into an office at University and Prior in St. Paul. Jim hired four part-time employees to work with 35 juniors at Arlington High School and Southwest High School, and Admission Possible received its first AmeriCorps grant.

2001-2002
In the fall of 2001, Admission Possible expanded to eight public high schools, adding North, Patrick Henry, and Roosevelt in Minneapolis, as well as Highland, Central, and Johnson in St. Paul. Twenty-six part-time AmeriCorps members, all current college students, coached 240 high school students across the Twin Cities. The organization’s original newsletter was created, the first of many Macalester students to have workstudy positions at Admission Possible began, and Jim was joined in the office by three full-time staff members.

2002-2003
With 400 students in Admission Possible, 40 part-time AmeriCorps coaches joined four full-time AmeriCorps members in the same eight schools as in the previous year, with Harding students participating in Admission Possible through programming at Johnson. With an annual budget approaching $700,000, the four full-time staff members were joined by two AmeriCorps*VISTA members in the Admission Possible office.

2003-2004
Five full-time staff, three VISTAs, 40 part-time AmeriCorps coaches, and nine full-time AmeriCorps site coordinators served 450 students at nine high schools: the eight Admission Possible sites established in 2001, plus Harding High School. A database was created to house student information; alumni programming began and with it the first Alumni Report; and an external evaluation by the Wilder Foundation got underway.

2004-2005
In the summer of 2004, Admission Possible moved to a new office at 450 N. Syndicate Street in St. Paul. Five full-time staff, 21 full-time AmeriCorps coaches, and three VISTAs served 550 students. The new website was unveiled, and a formalized version of the curriculum was distributed. Our first major fundraising event occurred at a Twins game, and all previous records were outdone when Admission Possible juniors increased their ACT scores by 16% and 100% of Admission Possible seniors were accepted to college!

2005-2006
With a budget over $1 million and 600 students to serve, the full-time staff grew to six people, and the Wilder Evaluation report was completed and distributed. Admission Possible received the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits award for innovation, was featured in the New York Times, and Jim McCorkell was selected as an Ashoka Fellow. With funding from the William and Nadine McGuire Family Foundation, and new records set for ACT increases and college acceptance rates, Admission Possible prepared for a big expansion!

2006-2007
Eleven leadership staff worked with 44 AmeriCorps members and two VISTAs to serve nearly 1,000 students at 13 high schools in the Twin Cities area, expanding into Humboldt in St. Paul, Armstrong and Cooper in Robbinsdale, and into two charter schools: Ubah Medical Academy and Higher Ground Academy. More than 200 people applied for the 48 available 2007-2008 AmeriCorps positions, and Admission Possible was recognized in Princeton Review’s national search for the 2008 edition of Best Entry-Level Jobs. The annual budget approached $2 million.

2007-2008
Partnering with Como Park places Admission Possible in all seven St. Paul public high schools, and the expansion into St. Louis Park brings the total number of Admission Possible schools to 15. Twelve Leadership Team members, 44 AmeriCorps members, and four VISTAs, serve 1,200 students and 1,100 program alums.  The Board of Directors conducts strategic planning to consider national expansion of the program.