Photo taken by Nyah Ruff.
High school is full of decisions, but one of the most common decisions that most students are met with is deciding where to go or what to do after graduation.
At Hastings High School, counselors are helping students prepare for college by expanding opportunities to visit college campuses throughout the school year.
Nicole Adams, a counselor at HHS, explained that the idea of touring campuses was a team effort. Last year, the counseling department got the EducationQuest College Access Grant, which gave them the funds to host these college tours.
“Last year, we took students on a couple of college visits, so this year, since we have the funding, we thought we’d give students more opportunities to check out more college campuses,” Adams said.
Adams and the counselors’ office set a goal to visit at least one college per month, sometimes even two schools in a single trip. She believes students should take advantage of the visits.
“College visits are so important when making big decisions about where you want to spend the next 2-4 years of your life,” Adams said. “The visit is a great way to see if a college is right for you. You can feel the atmosphere, notice how students interact, and see the unique aspects of the campus community.”
The tours have been in the works since summer, with months of planning leading up to their launch. The counselors had to find dates that work with the colleges but also do not coincide with too many school activities, schedule buses, and find adults who could chaperone.
“There are a lot of moving parts… It is a process, but it is well worth it,” Adams said
While college visits aren’t new, Adams thinks this year will be different with the grant funding received.
“This is the first time we’ve been able to schedule so many of them all in one year. The College Access Grant has really helped us provide opportunities to students that we couldn’t afford before,” Adams said.
