What is MAPS purpose?
MAPS is an organization dedicated to increasing the number of former foster youth pursuing advanced and professional degrees. Our primary concern is educational equity for young adults who have lived experience in foster care, often called care leavers in the academic literature.
Is MAPS a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit?
MAPS is currently a fiscally sponsored project of the Marcus Foster Education Institute (MFEI) located in Oakland, California. MFEI is a 501 (c) 3 that operates as an umbrella organization for small entities like MAPS who are just getting started or don’t require a lot of administrative overhead.
Who are the mentors working with MAPS?
MAPS mentors are young professionals, all of whom have advanced degrees as well as lived experience in foster care. All of our mentors received assistance from the UC Davis Guardian Professions Program (GPP) and are interested in giving back. MAPS mentors come from a variety of disciplines and are employed in diverse fields. Our mentors are social workers, business analysts, professors, counselors, administrators and managers. Our professional affiliates are dentists, doctors, city planners and therapists.
Do I need to apply to get a mentor?
If you are ready to apply to a graduate program, please contact us through email: maps.ca.org@gmail.com We will provide an application for you to fill out and schedule a short conversation.
I have some questions about how to apply to graduate school, but I’m not ready to submit an application yet. Is there someone I can talk with?
Please contact us at maps.ca.org@gmail.com to set up a Zoom meeting or phone call. We are happy to answer your questions or engage in an exploratory conversation. If you have a question about a specific career path or program, we may be able to connect you for a conversation with one of our professional affiliates.
Does MAPS provide other services or programs besides mentoring?
In addition to one-on-one mentoring to assist students with the application process, MAPS also offers a weekly Zoom meet-up during the application period – generally October through January – where applicants can meet others who are also applying in that cycle. We answer common questions, talk about interviews, discuss funding and commiserate about writer’s block. The Zoom meet-ups function as a support group during the time students are writing their essays and assembling other documents for their applications.
We have also developed a Zoom class that focuses on all the components of the graduate school and/or professional degree application, Getting Prepared for Graduate School. Understanding the components will help prospective students get a good idea of how they should be preparing for the future during their undergraduate years. During the class we examine the applications of successful applicants to understand strategies and essay structure.
In addition, we are planning thematic information seminars that we will jointly present with the Altura Collaborative, a community networking site especially designed for young adults with lived experience in foster care. You can find more information about the Altura Collaborative here: https://www.alturaco.org
Does MAPS have funding to help with the costs of applying to graduate school?
We understand that applying to graduate programs is very expensive and it is one of our long-term goals to be able to assist with funding. At this point in time, MAPS does have some funding to help with the costs of applying to graduate programs, but it is minimal. We are fundraising to increase the amount we can offer our applicants. Our greatest value at the current time is our extensive expertise in knowing how to help you prepare and our understanding of academia and what professors and graduate school admissions committees are looking for. In this way, we can help you prepare a competitive application. Most of our applicants receive some scholarship support from the programs that offer them admission.
Can someone at MAPS review my personal statement and review and offer some advice?
Assisting prospective students with their personal statements, statements of purpose and resumes is part of the mentoring we provide. However, our goal is to ensure a student gains acceptance to a program of their choice and that often entails providing other types of coaching and mentoring beyond the digital application form that needs to be submitted. Often we advise students to get more work experience or network with professors or other graduate students. We suggest students go to information sessions and visit programs to talk with professors. We also advocate for our students or introduce them to influential university administrators using our networks at various campuses. Our way of working is really a partnership that includes a commitment to each of the prospective students we mentor. We expect students will be equally committed to us and their success. This is the long way of saying we are not just a program that reviews applications, although, on occasion, that is all we will need to do to assist a prospective student.
Do you help applicants with interviews for graduate programs?
Yes! A number of programs require interviews before you are accepted. Medical, dental and PsyD applicants are all interviewed as a part of the application review process, but there are also some PhD programs and Master’s programs that use them as well. We will provide you with materials and coaching and make sure you are well-prepared to ace any face-to-face interactions.
