Throughout their six years in PSP, scholars are offered numerous opportunities to talk with their mentors about college: How to find the right fit, what it will be like, what they should be doing to prepare. Particularly in their junior and senior years of high school, scholars spend time visiting college campuses with their mentors, getting exposure to the college experience, and often meeting with current students. As students return from college visits, they often attribute the most valuable component to these experiences to hearing from current college students about what campus life is really like.

Even more imperative is being able to talk with former PSP scholars whose struggles as first generation, low-income students they can relate to. Recognizing that this experience can be essential for students to feel more comfortable and prepared for the transition to college, PSP’s Mendocino mentor Mina Cohen came up with the idea of holding a yearly event she called Inside Scoop.

PSP senior Carla A. has been attending the Inside Scoop event since she was in the 8th grade and believes hearing from PSP alumni is an invaluable experience while preparing for college. “Since I am a senior I take any form of advice on college very seriously, so going to the Inside Scoop, I really wanted to hear about the student’s campus life – from their hardships to the living situations – and get their honest opinion,” says Carla.

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