So Many College Options, So Little Time…
Flood of College Visits Pour Into the Sacred Heart Community
Mr. George
These past few months were restless for ISSH high school students and Admissions Counselor Ms. Kelly Braun.
The number of college representatives visiting ISSH has increased this year. It is estimated that 90 universities from 10 countries will be visiting our school throughout the 2014-2015 academic year.
Students feel that the college visits are a great opportunity to reflect on what they want to do in the future, but they also serve as a head start for the decisions to be made before graduation. It allows students to get a glimpse of the variegated application processes for different countries and even paves a new path for students. Yuko (11) said, “I think the fact that universities all around the word visit our school aid students to become more open minded and prevent them from sticking to a certain university.”
Likewise, the college visits were helpful for some of the 12th graders. Utako (12) said, “I talked to one of the counselors and became fascinated with the school and decided to apply. I was also able to narrow down my college list after their visit to our school.”
However, some students felt that the visits did not have much influence on their final decision about where to apply. Maya (12) said, “Because I already had my universities narrowed down, it was not helpful. My choices may have changed if the college visits were in my junior year.”
Students Staring at the College Counseling Bulletin Board
Some students felt that there were too many choices that did not fit the types of schools where they want to study in the future; a high school senior who requested anonymity suggested, “It would be good to have a survey or a poll asking seniors which types of universities they are looking into.”
The high school principal Ms.Young said, “The more opportunities you have to see what schools offer, the better the position you are for an informed decision. When they visit us the students can be more personal and ask questions very freely.”
The number of college visits is expected to stay the same or even increase next year. Ms. Young praised Ms. Braun’s efforts, “She is very active, meeting admissions offices’ in many schools. Every time a college comes to visit, she invites them warmly. She has made exceptional efforts to improve the number of college visits.”