College freshman Ronique Forgie “didn’t even know Penn existed” before a gateway program brought her to Makuu, the University’s black cultural center. Forgie is one of many underrepresented minority students who seeks out Makuu during the college application process and falls in love with the University as a result.
Forgie first set foot on Penn’s campus during a trip with the Gateway Institute for Pre-College Education, a Manhattan-based program for underrepresented high-school students interested in the sciences.
The Gateway Institute comes to Makuu two or three times annually to see campus, hear speakers and meet students. Penn’s 14-percent acceptance rate can be discouraging to students, but Makuu Director and Gateway Alum Karlene Burrell-McRae works to dispel their preconceptions.
As program director Edwing Medina said, “UPenn can be a little intimidating. They [Makuu] make it so it seems possible that with a little hard work kids can get there.”
Burrell-McRae added, “Even if they’re not on the trajectory to get into a place like Penn, we still want to instill in them the importance of college.”
For Forgie, the visit cemented her interest in Penn and consequent application. “I just fell in love with it,” she said.
She was especially affected by Burrell-McRae. “Here was this black woman who had just gotten her [doctorate]; she was a wife, she was a mother, basically everything that I wanted to be at that time,” Forgie said.
After hearing Burrell-McRae speak, a nervous Forgie asked Medina to introduce her.
“She said, ‘don’t be shy, you kind of remind me of myself,’ and told me I should call her when I apply” Forgie said.
She applied and was accepted to Penn regular decision, after writing her “Why Penn” essay about her Makuu experience.
However, her desire to enroll was influenced by more generous financial-aid offers from other universities.
“There were other schools comparable to Penn offering more money to Ronique, but she wanted to come to UPenn,” Medina said.
In need of help, Forgie e-mailed Burrell-McRae, who then called Student Financial Services and urged them to renegotiate the financial aid package for the prospective freshman.
“Penn gave me $10,000 more in grant aid,” Forgie said.
But not all prospective students come to Makuu through Medina.
“Current students and alumni are very good at going back to their high schools and putting us in touch with kids who are interested in Penn,” Associate Director of Makuu Daina Richie said.
Most prospective students individually contact Makuu via e-mail.
“You’re talking about students who are excited about Penn but also care about their racial and ethnic identity,” Burrell-McRae said.
Richie and Burrell-McRae set students up with upperclassmen, explain Makuu’s mission and function and coordinate their Penn visits, which are organized as “an immersion experience,” according to Burrell-McRae.
When College freshman Elise Mitchell visited, she spent the majority of her day in the office, talking to students and watching the fall bustle.
“I was really impressed with how knowledgeable people were, and how focused people were in their respective disciplines. I was blown away by all the opportunities people take advantage of here,” Mitchell said.
Richie claims that current Penn students do most of the recruiting work for her. “They almost pull them through the door!” she said.
After her visit, Mitchell applied early decision and was accepted. “Before I got here, I was planning on applying regular decision,” she said. “After visiting, I knew I couldn’t go anywhere else.”
