We live in a college-bound culture, and rightfully so. College is a gateway to economic opportunity and social mobility. Research demonstrates that college graduates have higher employment rates, higher job status, and earn higher wages. But in an ever-commercialized higher education industry and with the pressures surrounding such a focus on college, first-generation and underserved students suffer.

Without adequate guidance from parents who never experienced the process themselves and without the proper support network in school and in the community, forces continue to pull first-generation and underserved students away from pursuing college. But CSO envisions a college-bound culture for all. There is a distinct need to foster and cement this culture among students in under-resourced communities from an early age. A focus at the elementary and middle school level on motivating students to want to go to college and stressing the importance of college sets students on the right path. By the time students enter high school, they should be asking not “Should I go to College?,” but “Where should I go to college?,” “How can I find the necessary financial aid?,” and “What makes a good college essay?”

Central to CSO’s mission and the CSO College Center initiative is promoting this college-bound culture among first-generation and underserved students. Use the information provided here as a resource to learn about the college search and admissions process and to explore various higher education opportunities.