As fall settles in, students looking for post-secondary options are starting to shift their focus; college application deadlines loom ahead as the deadline slowly inches closer. For some, this is a time to dive deep into the possibilities of the next four years of their lives.
Multiple times a day in room 222, a representative from different colleges offers a short information session on their institution. Students are allowed to drop into these sessions whenever they want, but are asked to sign in for attendance reasons. Often, students are given an explanatory pamphlet, along with what might include stickers or other school merchandise.
Schools ranging from Ivy Leagues — such as Princeton and Brown — and smaller, local schools — such as Kalamazoo and Hope College — have made it to CHS. They started in early Sept. and will continue into mid Nov., just after the Early Decision/Action Nov. 1 deadline. There will also be a very small selection of visits available in the spring.
For Senior Evelyn Stansfield, these visits are informative, interesting and fun to attend. Stansfield has already gone to eight visits this year, the most notable being the University of Vermont. Stansfield finds that they’re a great way to scope out the school, including the programs, student life and other opportunities they offer.
“I think that it’s a nice way to get your name out there,” Stansfield said. “The people that come to [CHS] are the people that are reading your applications, so I want to let them know I’m interested.”
She also likes the widespread notability of the visits, with reminders being in the Forum bulletin, the wideboard outside of Bodley and in daily morning reminder texts to upperclassmen.
Although she thinks that on-campus tours are important to gain a better view of the lifestyle side of the institution, Stansfield likes the intimate feeling of a CHS college visit. She describes her visits as having only a few people, where she can ask questions and learn in-depth specific programs offered.
“Speaking to someone who spends a lot of time on that campus and does work for the university is important to gain specific details of the school and the more academic side to it, rather than the lifestyle side,” Stansfield said.
Junior Mark Ionides also enjoys going to college visits. Although he’s mostly set on the colleges he’s applying to, Ionides finds the visits educational and fascinating. He also appreciates talking to the alumni because they offer a genuine student perspective of the school. His favorite one was the Northwestern visit, when the representative joked with Iondies when he entered late.
“I feel like I get a glimpse into the world of the college,” Iondies said. “They’re an hour-long window into a life that I could have in the future.”
Even though Iondies prefers in-person tours of universities, he believes that the CHS visits work in a pinch, especially if the institution is far away. Overall, Iondies finds that the visits expose him to more post-secondary opportunities.
“Normally it’s like, ‘Okay. I’ve never heard of this college before, but now I know it exists,” Ionides said. “ But these visits remind me that I gotta be thinking about this. I have to keep working on a list.”
