Minds Matter is looking for students who:

• Be a current high school freshmen and interested in pursuing a 4-year college education
• Demonstrate strong academic potential, motivation, maturity, time management and responsibility
• Maintain an overall grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale)
• Meet HUD low income guidelines for Cook County

The entire program is of NO COST to the student, his/her family, or school. Minds Matter helps students apply for financial aid awards and raises funds to supplement financial aid.

Students will be contacted via email regarding the interview notification and final acceptances.

Minds Matter sessions are held on Saturdays from 10:30AM – 2:30PM during the school year. Sessions are not held on holidays or during school vacations. Currently, we meet at Roosevelt University, which is easily accessible via public transportation.

Minds Matter takes mentor/mentee matching very seriously. Volunteers and students are asked a series of questions during the application process to assess interests, areas of strength, and areas of improvement. We also have several program sessions prior to Match Day so that mentees and mentors can build rapport before matches are confirmed.

Ideally, a mentee will have the same mentors throughout the entire program. Minds Matter does its best to assess each volunteer’s availability and match accordingly. We do understand that “life happens,” and sometimes we experience turnover due to unforeseen circumstances. In this case, mentees would be re-matched with another mentor if necessary. 

In early spring, our Summer Program Directors and mentors begin working with students to identify summer program opportunities. Group-based programming is offered for sophomores, while juniors participate in individualized summer experiences. Based on each student’s interests and input, Summer Program Directors, in collaboration with our national team, identify and recommend appropriate program options. These programs are typically sourced through our national university partners. If students are interested in external programs, those options may also be considered and reviewed as part of the selection process.

As part of this process, students are required to complete one or both of our foundation partner scholarship applications to determine eligibility. Scholarship decisions are based on the strength of the student’s application, the overall applicant pool, and family adjusted gross income. Regardless of scholarship outcomes, Minds Matter covers the cost of summer programming for students, up to a defined tuition cap that is communicated during the application process. Students are typically notified of their final placements in April and May.

Minds Matter Sophomores apply for our Outward Bound summer experience and Juniors apply to a variety of academic summer programs at top-tier colleges, and universities around the country.