About Us
Thank you for your interest in learning more about The Freshman Fifteen, an effort to support educational opportunities for some of New York City’s most talented, but financially disadvantaged, college-bound students.
Through our experiences working with educators in some of New York’s public and parochial schools, we’ve seen first-hand many of the difficulties some students face even as they achieve academic success in high school and look forward to a college career.
Each year many of our neediest high school seniors overcome the pitfalls of our most challenging neighborhoods, graduate from high school and are awarded college financial aid packages. Their determination sets an inspiring example for all of us and we believe these students represent our best hope to break the cycle of poverty that grips our inner-city.
While most college aid packages may provide all or part of tuition, room and board, and some provide for books, sadly many of these students lack additional support for the all-important transition into the world of college life. The Freshman Fifteen is a modest, but targeted effort to assist selected students through this transition by providing them dorm-room essentials that many cannot afford and that so many of us take for granted.
Working with established local organizations that support “at risk” students, and through a citywide network of educators, guidance counselors and community leaders, we identify students who have the greatest need for additional support. It is these students who receive The Freshman Fifteen package upon their arrival on campus.
What's Included
The following is a list of items included in The Freshman Fifteen package:
- Sheets (2 sets, including mattress pad)
- Comforter
- Shower tote
- Blanket
- Pillow (including pillow protector)
- Desk lamp
- Towels (bath towels, hand towels and washcloths)
- Laundry bag
- Storage containers
- Bathrobe
- Powerstrip
- Back pack
- Clock/radio
- Trash can
- Basic school supplies (notebooks, pens, highlighters)
Please take a look at one of our recent catalogues here.
Who We Work With
The following is a list of highly regarded agencies we have collaborated with in prior years.
The following is a partial list of schools at which one or more of The Freshman Fifteen recipients are currently enrolled:
Lafayette College
Lawrence University
Lehigh University
Marist College
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Middlebury College
Morehouse College
Pomona College
Rochester Institute of Technology
Sarah Lawrence College
Stanford University
SUNY – Albany
SUNY – Binghamton
SUNY – Buffalo
SUNY – Plattsburg
Syracuse University
Trinity College
University of Pennsylvania
Union College
University of Wisconsin
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Wesleyan University
Wheaton College
Williams College
Yale University
Alfred University
Amherst College
Babson College
Barnard College
Bates College
Boston College
Boston University
Brandeis University
Carnegie Mellon University
Clarkson College
Colby College
Colgate University
College of the Holy Cross
Columbia University
Connecticut College
Cornell University
DePauw University
Dickinson College
Fordham University
Franklin and Marshall College
Georgetown University
George Washington University
Gettysburg College
Hamilton College
Harvard University
Howard University