Teach for America likely to be selective this year

With today’s application deadline, the Teach for America program expects the number of applicants to remain near last year’s record-high level.

And that will make getting in the program quite competitive.

Teach for America, an organization that has placed recent college graduates in low-income schools since 1990, received 35,000 applications last year, an increase of 42 percent from the previous year, said Kaitlin Gastrock, spokeswoman for Teach for America.

This increase in selectivity — due partly to a slumping economy — means it will be harder for students to enter the program than in past years. And it comes at a time when more students are considering applying because they are unable to find other jobs.

Rebecca Knicely, a senior recruitment director for Teach for America, said the economy was one of students’ motivations to apply, as students can earn money before entering graduate school through the program.

“People don’t have to start their careers immediately,” she said. “Graduate school students are rarely 22.”

Even if teaching is not a long-term career goal, Knicely said the program opens people to different career options.

Andrew Pham, a UNC alumnus and Teach for America teacher in Baltimore, said the program offered job security.

“Teach for America secures a position right after college,” he said. “It’s very fulfilling academically, intellectually, as well as personally.”

Gastrock said the increased numbers could be due to several factors, including rising interest in public service.

“For some people, this gives them the opportunity to find what’s meaningful for them,” she said.

She added that President Barack Obama’s call for public service and community involvement might have accounted for some of this increase.

UNC has had a strong involvement with Teach for America, with more than 300 alumni who have already completed the two-year commitment. Gastrock said more than 100 UNC alumni currently serve in the program.

Teach for America admitted 4,100 teachers last year ­­— a 15 percent acceptance rate, Gastrock said.

“We’d love to put as many teachers as possible in the schools,” Gastrock said.

But she said acceptance rates are based on the number of teachers each of the 35 corps regions across the nation requests.

Pham said the program’s acceptance rates rival those of some Ivy League law schools.

Senior Louisa Nathan, who said she is interested in applying, said Teach for America has an impact beyond the classroom.

“The purpose is to affect the kids and to have people understand what it is like in low-income communities,” she said.

Pham said his experience in the program has been rewarding.

He said Tuesday he was impressed with his students’ dedication to their work in class earlier that day. He attributed their self-motivation to an incentive program he began in his classroom.

“Teaching is what I need to be doing right now,” Pham said. “It makes a difference on a daily basis.”



Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.