Exposing Students To New College Options
Colleges from all over Kentucky have been to Bullitt East and many students have Been accepted to each of them.
Bullitt East is about to get schooled.
The annual college fair is coming up for juniors and seniors on Wednesday, September 27 in the main gym.
The fair is designed to help juniors and seniors consider college and career options they hadn’t before. A diverse selection of colleges catering to every type of interest are scheduled to attend this year. Upperclassmen are currently looking forward to finding their path for the future.
College fairs are a common event in high schools across the nation. They focus on exposing upperclassmen to colleges that might be right for them. Colleges from local areas send representatives to the school to set up booths and give high schoolers information about their university.
For Bullitt East in particular, the fair takes place in the main gym during school, and is mandatory for juniors and seniors. Students will be seated according to desired career path after graduation. Former Bullitt East principal and director of college and career readiness Willie Foster will be the guest speaker. This year’s fair will be during second period through third period for juniors and third period to sixth period for seniors. This is the fifth consecutive year that the school has hosted a college fair.
College and Career Center coach Wendy McCutcheon is the coordinator of the event. McCutcheon has previously worked with college fairs through the Family Youth Service Center at North Bullitt High School. She’s coordinated every college fair there has been at Bullitt East so far. Additionally, counselors help with setup and chaperoning, along with Senior English teachers.
Students have the opportunity to learn a lot about different kinds of schools through the fair. “They give information about the application process, scholarships, any events that they have coming up, the different majors that they offer, financial aid and campus life,” said counselor Crystal Barr.
For students who may not have the financial means to go to the college they want to attend the fair can be a great eye-opener.
“A lot of students don’t have family support or financial support and can’t actually go and physically tour a lot of these universities. So they really get a hands-on experience with all the different representatives to see if one will fit before they spend the money and go somewhere. It’s very fun to see kids come out and say ‘I had no idea that I could afford to go to college.’,”said McCutcheon.
College fairs are often not only beneficial for students but also for the colleges being represented. Representatives can have one-on-one conversations with potential students without the amount of pressure of an interview. “I like that it takes the pressure off of both the students and the college,” said senior English teacher Abigail Phillips.
This can help colleges bring students in through discovery and increase their enrollment numbers. “We have what they want and if they don’t come and recruit and sell our students what they offer, then they might not get kids from our school,” said McCutcheon.
Around 45 colleges have scheduled to attend the event this year. There is a wide variety of college types ranging from trade schools to four year universities.There will be at least one college option for almost every career interest. This is a change from previous years in which many of the schools represented were four year colleges. “Having the different options will show them there’s more than one way to attain their goals. So, I think that will be really helpful,” said Phillips.
For juniors, the college fair is a new experience. “I’m interested more in a college that doesn’t require you to pick a major your first year and talking with a college rep. Is much more personal than an email or phone call. So, I’m looking forward to that,” said junior Keara Crouse.
By the time students have become juniors, they are facing many decisions for their future. One of the biggest being what college to attend. Helping students figure that out is one of the main purposes of the fair.
Seniors on the other hand, have attended the fair once before. However, that doesn’t mean it can’t be as informative and exciting as earlier.
“I think it might be helpful if I go to other college booths that I didn’t get to last year,”said senior Angela Alson.
Overall, the hopes of the fair are that students will find new options and will make informed decisions for the future.
