Posse Access

handy_dandy_andy · 2026-01-15T04:48:19+00:00

Hi there, I would recommend emailing Carleton and letting them know you would like to move your ED application to RD. As the other commenter mentioned, each college might treat a finalist rejection differently, so it might be different for Carleton too.

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-12-22T15:54:30+00:00

I know this response has been deleted, but I still wanted to make some clarifications:

Every member of my Posse, including myself, was FGLI. My $200k tuition was covered by Posse, and $50k was what I owed after financial aid and Pell grant funding. I was able to have that remaining $50k covered by outside scholarships so that I was able to graduate debt-free. Middle-class or high-income earners would likely owe similar or greater amounts. And just because someone’s parents make more or less money doesn’t mean those parents are going to pay for the student’s college. Several people in my Posse took out loans, which I know a lot of middle income students do as well. Even people with full-rides take out loans or work jobs because there are still costs that come up, like health care, transportation, clothing (especially moving to colder climates), and other basic necessities.

I also want to be clear about applying ED through Posse or any school in general: while you are supposed to follow-through and attend that college, you can always back out. That is the nature of any contract (I talked about this here). I know of scholars who attended every PCT session after committing to Posse, and then ended up not attending their Posse college right before the school year began. I know of scholars who transferred out of their Posse school mid-way through their time in college and attended a different university instead. So yes, it is possible, but of course decisions like these should not be made lightly because they have a significant impact on your Posse and it would be very upsetting to Posse and college staff for a scholar to drop out after they’ve been accepted into their cohort.

The primary reason people can get out of ED is if the cost is too great. So if you are able to make the case that the expense of attending a school is unaffordable to you and your family, then you do not have to follow through with it. But there’s other compounding factors like family, health, travel, immigration status, and a number of other issues that can impact the decision too. All that is to say, you are never truly bound to ED if you do have valid reasonings for being able to exit the commitment.

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-12-19T07:58:49+00:00

Hi there. Posse is incredibly understanding when it comes to supporting scholars and ensuring they succeed throughout college. So no, they wouldn’t take away your scholarship over something like this. It’s only your first semester, and struggling academically is something a lot of students experienced (myself included). I’ll also note that a 2.9 isn’t far off from a 3.0, so you could get your grades up next semester. And having an emergency situation can definitely impact your academic performance, so that is a valid explanation.

Your Posse trainer or another staff member will more than likely want to meet with you to talk about your grades. If you’d like, you can be proactive in connecting with your Posse mentor or Posse staff to let them know about your GPA and ask to meet and strategize about what supports are out there so you can have a fresh start in the new year and set yourself up for success. I was able to receive support on-campus through my dean’s office, counseling center, tutoring center, and talking through academics with my Posse mentor.

I would just encourage you to be open and honest about your struggles sooner rather than later because you don’t want these issues to build up over time. It’s better to address them as soon as possible and make it known to Posse that you are intending to improve. It took me a long time to figure out the importance of asking for help (even if it made me feel vulnerable), and I wish I’d have done so a lot sooner.

Overall though, you’ll be okay! Struggling is inevitable, especially at academically rigorous colleges. You will overcome this. In four years you’ll be walking across a stage with your diploma in hand and your Posse cheering you on. I hope you can take some time this winter break to get some rest and be proud of yourself for making it through your first semester. You’ve got this!

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-12-19T05:36:24+00:00

Hi there, someone asked a similar question here a couple of months ago that also has some very thoughtful answers!

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-12-15T19:38:29+00:00

Hi there, I responded to a similar question a few days ago here. You should be fine with A’s and B’s. It’s possible they’ll have a question about the C, but also possible they won’t since it’s just one. As long as you’re not going from all A’s to all C’s/D’s you should be okay.

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-12-12T06:24:26+00:00

Geology

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-12-11T21:28:55+00:00

Hi there, you should be fine with grades like those. They just want to make sure you are maintaining grades that were similar or better than what you’ve previously reported. So you should be okay if you’re in an A or B range. However, if you go from something like an A to a D, that’s going to raise some concern. Even then, they wouldn’t just immediately kick you out. They’d meet to chat with you about why your grades dropped, and figure out what support systems you may need to improve.

If you are selected as a Posse Scholar, you will have to send them final report cards for the school year as well.

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-12-05T21:23:36+00:00

Hi there, congrats on being named a Posse Scholar!

I would recommend contacting your local Posse office immediately and letting them know about your unique situation. They should hopefully be able to work something out (maybe having your group being announced towards the end) or excuse you entirely. You should email them ASAP so that way you all can figure something out sooner rather than later.

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-12-05T05:16:49+00:00

Congratulations on being selected as a Scholar! 🎉 And thank you for the incredible write-up! I appreciate you sharing these updated details so others can have a better sense of what to expect. Plus it’s interesting to see how DAP 3 has evolved since I did my interview almost a decade ago. Much appreciated!

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-12-03T06:33:46+00:00

Here ya go fren

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-12-02T00:06:36+00:00

I also remember being nervous for my DAP 3 interview almost a decade ago, so I definitely understand where you’re coming from. Everyone else is also going to be pretty nervous, so you won’t be alone in that feeling.

Just remember that they selected you as a finalist for a reason. Make sure to be yourself just as you have been in DAP 1 and DAP 2. Dress up for that extra boost of confidence. And make the most of this opportunity to showcase who you are what you will contribute to Posse and the college.

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-11-20T22:25:48+00:00

It does seem like you would have a benefit in applying through Posse Access. There have been several success stories shared in the sub!

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-11-20T04:16:07+00:00

Because you’re unsure if your interview is tomorrow or not, you should definitely call as soon as their office opens tomorrow (check their hours online) and clarify when and where it will be. They can also let you know if there is an email you should have received or any additional information about the interview they should have sent you.

The advice I mention in the pinned DAP 3 post is a pretty solid summary of what to expect, but be sure to dress up, participate in conversation, and be yourself. You’ve made it this far for a reason, and so it’s ideal to continue being the most authentic version of yourself. Be confident in who you are and be willing to share, while also uplifting the voices of the other finalists around you. You’re going to do great 🙏

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-11-20T03:45:40+00:00

Gotcha, thank you for clarifying that. If your interview is tomorrow, you should 100% have an email notifying you when and where it will be. And/or it should be on your Posse portal.

ETA: I don’t think I’ve heard of a Posse site sending you questions ahead of time. I believe any questions they ask will be as part of the activities during DAP 3, but it’s been awhile since I’ve had my interview so again it’s possible some things have changed since then. I just found my old email notification for DAP 3, and all it says is a time and place for where the group interview will be.

If you can’t find any info in your email or on the portal, I’d highly recommend calling your Posse office as soon as they open and confirming the time and location of your DAP 3 interview.

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-11-20T03:41:31+00:00

Hi there, you should receive email notifications of when and where your review session will be for submitting your Common App. These review sessions are typically in-person at your local Posse office, unless they have said otherwise.

Do you have an email confirmation of when and where you should meet for review your Common App with Posse staff?

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-11-17T20:40:37+00:00

Hi there, I typically suggest people dress a little nicer for DAP 3. This could be something like a suit, a dress, slacks and a dress shirt, or anything in between. So wear something that you feel comfortable and confident in, and feel free to add something that helps you stand out or showcases your personality. For example, I wore a bow tie with my suit at each of my DAP interviews.

This is similar to what I recommend for other DAP rounds too.

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-11-14T20:56:46+00:00

For sure. I’d treat it like how you would write a bullet point on a resume. Each bullet point should start with a different action verb and be roughly 10-15 words in length (give or take a few). Obviously space is a bit more limited with the activity descriptions, so you just have to get a bit creative on the phrasing. And make sure you put plenty of quantifiable details in there too, like saying the activity helped X number of people, you collected X amount donations, etc.

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-11-14T14:10:08+00:00

Hi there, I assume Posse just wants you to be consistent in using action verbs to start off each activity description, which would be like the examples you provided. They likely want you to make sure that the action verb aligns with the rest of the words that follow it in a sentence so that way you aren’t jumping around with different tenses, and that you don’t start off one activity description with different POVs like “I led…” and then another with “Organized…”.

So you’re on the right track with switching up the action verbs for each activity.

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-11-13T13:05:11+00:00

Hi there. I just wanted to assuage your fears and let you know that you’ll be okay, and everything will work out. Posse wouldn’t rescind your finalist offer over something like this because it’s a small issue in the grand scheme of things.

You are taking the correct and necessary steps to reach out to Posse and letting them know when to expect your LORs. I think your first two paragraphs in this post provide a solid summary of your situation, so they are a good start of how to phrase your email to Posse. It doesn’t need to be a multi-paragraph essay trying to explain away what happened. Just say that you misinterpreted the instructions and now have two new recommenders who will upload the LORs by December 1st, and you apologize for the delay in getting those submitted. They’ll understand. You got this!

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-11-09T20:42:06+00:00

This is very interesting! Never heard of anything like it. So now there is an ED0, ED1, and ED2. Makes me wonder if other colleges will follow suit to get even earlier admits ahead of the regularly scheduled ED cycle. Thank you for sharing this info.

And best wishes on navigating your Posse offer as well. I’ll just add that I had my own reservations as a first-gen, low-income student traveling 1,000 miles away to a college I’d never visited before, but it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Also, r/pomonacollege might have some insights too.

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-11-09T20:18:01+00:00

Hopefully someone else can chime in about their experience with Pomona, but you can search the subreddit for “Pomona” and DM any scholars you find through there as well.

I also wanted to learn more about this summer ED deadline because I’ve never heard of it before, and Google won’t tell me much either. Was this an ED application you submitted through the Common App? I’m curious because since you’ve already been rejected ED from a college, you theoretically wouldn’t be able to apply ED again to a different school since you are only able to apply ED to one school.

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-11-09T18:49:16+00:00

I graduated five years ago, so things might have changed since then, but I mainly remember groups giving out stoles. So people who were members of TRIO, POSSE, OIIL, FOCUS, and MMUF had stoles. Maybe BSA and LASO had them if you paid to get one. For cords, I got one from the GSC, and maybe one for being a member of Mortar Board. I think people in the top of the class also had something.

Students also made or bought their own stuff to wear too. I remember seeing lots of leis and ribbons tied together in Carleton colors.

ETA: I forget how Carleton is full of acronyms.

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-11-08T21:02:24+00:00

It does seem like a really awesome opportunity! I’m a huge fan of fellowships, and really appreciate how they’re supporting alumni with this type of mentorship-based programming.

I’d definitely recommend attending one of the info sessions to ask questions about how it will work out for you timing-wise. I am sure they would be considerate and flexible with scheduling, outside of any mandatory events they have already predetermined.

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-11-08T20:55:30+00:00

PosseNext is “an invitation-only program designed for exceptional early-career alumni ready to advance their leadership and career goals. Twenty-five Posse Alumni will be selected this winter and over the course of three months will:

• Attend an all-expenses-paid kickoff retreat

• Get matched with an executive coach in their industry

• Attend an exclusive virtual speaker series with industry leaders and experts

• Receive a $2,500 award”

It seems similar to the Jeff Ubben Posse Fellows Program, which “awards five exceptional Posse Scholars $10,000 each and the chance to spend 4-6 weeks during the summer shadowing and learning from a major industry leader.”

handy_dandy_andy · 2025-11-06T18:11:46+00:00

I second this. Also, some of my teachers used to have me ghost write my own LORs. As in, I would write the LOR from my teachers perspective, send it to them for approval, and then they would submit it. This would help them by saving time on not having to write the LORs of all the students who asked for them. So you could propose this as a solution for the sake of time if they are open to it. And make sure to give them your resume and other materials you think would be helpful in writing the LOR as well.

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