With all students enrolled in classes for the semester and the 10 day drop period over, the guidance office is still bustling with a variety of colleges beginning to make their way to FHC starting Aug. 28 with Washington University. The college visits are when representatives assigned to FHC’s area come into the guidance office. Students can sign up for these visits at the guidance office, where they receive a pass to get out of class.
Mrs. Lisa Lipin, the guidance secretary, organizes these visits. Colleges typically take the first step by contacting the school and making an appointment to talk with students. The information that the colleges bring provide many benefits.
“College visits help to get the information out to people that may not have the time to go and physically visit the college,” Mrs. Lipin said. “They give information on the class size, financial aid and highlights the college. It gives the students the availability to ask their own questions.”
As for what students think of the experience, senior Scott Halbert, who attended numerous college visits last year, agrees that the college visits are definitely beneficial for both students and the schools that choose to come.
“I think it is a great thing [college visits] that our school needs to keep up,” Halbert said. “I went to one for a school in all the way from Boston last year and loved it. Colleges want to get their name out. I think it is awesome that our school has this opportunity.”
The information that the schools bring also plays an important factor. Representatives come with information pamphlets and brochures that the students can bring home and look over. Also, students meet with the admission counselors that will be overlooking their college application process.
“You get all this information that you just can’t get on the web,” Halbert said. “You get a personal opinion about it. You get to hear others ask questions that you might not have thought of.”
In deciding which colleges to go see in guidance, some preparation can be done beforehand. This includes finding out some background information on the schools that can be accessed through many different means.
“It is beneficial to know beforehand what size of school the student wants to attend, what they want to study; certain colleges are better in certain subjects, price and financial aid. There are some schools that are very selective and some that are not quite as selective depending on your ACT score,” Mrs. Lipin said.
To help with information on the different colleges that come to FHC, guidance also has resources that can be accessed both at school and home.
“There is this binder here [in the guidance office] that we have colleges fill out that highlights the top four or five degrees that they offer,” Mrs. Lipin said. “It also tells the price, how big the college is, scholarships and the distance from scholarship. Another great option is online.“
Interested students should check out the guidance tab of the school’s website: http://fhsdfhc.sharpschool.net/departments/guidance, the enews, and the whiteboard located right outside the guidance office which lists the diverse colleges and universities that make their way to our school.
