As seniors decide on post-undergraduate plans, Teach for America (TFA) remains a popular and compelling option for University students.
The number of University seniors who applied to TFA this year exceeded the amount of applicants in notable peer institutions. Seventy-three Wesleyan seniors applied to the popular organization, as compared to 54 seniors from Williams College, 38 from Amherst College and 61 from Tufts University.
Becca Feiden ’08, a TFA Campus Campaign Coordinator, explained that the University has become a major recruiting ground for TFA, a national organization that places recent college graduates and young professionals in low-income school districts across the country to teach for two years.
“Compared to other schools, Wesleyan definitely has more students interested in TFA,” said Feiden. “One factor is the enthusiasm of current and former corps members who graduated from Wesleyan. I think a lot of students are excited when they hear about the success of Wesleyan alums.”
Founded in 1990 by a Princeton University senior, TFA has quickly grown into a popular post-graduation choice for college seniors across the country. In its first year, the program placed only 500 college graduates in teaching jobs. By 2007, that number had grown to just over 3,000 members chosen from over 18,000 applicants.
The number of school districts involved with the program has also grown. Today, TFA is active in 26 school districts across the nation, up from six in 1990.
Interest among Wesleyan students has increased, as well. Of the 73 seniors who applied to the program, roughly 15 plan to become TFA corps members, up from eight or fewer in previous years.
Dave Tassone ’08, who applied to TFA this year, maintains that this increase is largely attributable to a greater awareness among University students about TFA’s mission and philosophy.
“It’s a proven program that has already had an amazing impact on this nation’s education problems,” he said. “The education achievement gap is already extreme and would continue to grow if groups like TFA weren’t around.”
Patrick Senat ’08, who was recently accepted and will be teaching secondary English in Los Angeles this fall, agreed that the TFA mission goes along with many University students’ values.
“A lot of Wesleyan students are concerned with our nation’s future and have become aware of the blatant disregard and neglect of certain segments of our society,” Senat said. “Teach For America has presented itself as a viable option for young adults who are interested in positively contributing to the world.”
Indeed, many TFA applicants have expressed a desire to employ both their education and an interest in on-the-ground activism cultivated during their time at the University.
Jo Brownson ’08, who will be teaching middle school math in Philadelphia this fall, exemplifies this. She is currently head of the University’s tutoring program at Woodrow Wilson Middle School and believes that TFA will provide a vehicle to continue this type of community involvement.
“I believe Teach for America is one of the few programs that puts you right in the thick of things,” Brownson said. “After spending four years at Wesleyan studying theoretical things, TFA lets you see those abstract ideas firsthand.”
According to Feiden, 67 percent of TFA corps members stay in education, while the rest pursue careers in fields ranging from law and politics to medicine and research.
While the program has remained popular among students, some applicants have criticized the application process. Emily Umhoefer ’08, for example, was frustrated by what she believes was a misleading recruitment campaign.
“At first, I was bombarded with dozens of fawning e-mails, posters and Facebook invites,” said Umhoefer. “In the end, I had an awkward phone interview followed by an interview day which was fun but also fairly slick and impersonal. I was confident that I would get in, but no dice.”
Brownson agreed that the application can be difficult at times, but she felt that it was appropriate nonetheless.
“The interview was long and intense, but it made me respect the organization even more because it allows TFA to see all sides of you and get a sense of what you’d be like in the classroom,” she said.
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