We're now at the point of the process where we may begin to
pull together a list that we'll actually visit a college campus.
We've been very thoughtful up to this point, thinking about what that college
environment looks like, your identity questions, as well as some of the cultural
and community pieces that you'd like to see in the college campus.
Now we can start putting some names to these colleges and actually visiting them.
But before you get in a car or
onto mass transit, I want you to do some investigating beforehand.
Get online and
take a look at the resources supplied not only by the admissions office,
perhaps with admission statistics, taking a look at student blogs, and
getting their voice and narrative about their experiences on the college campus.
But also departmental websites, athletics websites,
the libraries, like we're here in Fisher Fine Arts Library,
to get a real sense of the campus community and campus feel.
You'll be much better prepared with questions if you do this work beforehand,
so as you're walking around, you can have ownership over your journey.
Once you're on a college campus,
I want you to have a couple of different experiences.
Some of these may be a bit more scripted, and others are going to be more natural.
The information session offered by the admission office and
a student-led tour are usually offered Monday through Friday, and
sometimes on weekends and holidays, for families to visit the campus.
You usually need to pre-register and get an RSVP.
So please make sure that you that beforehand.
Think about the questions that you have specifically for
that school when you're in one of those sessions.
Don't just ask a general question but think a little bit more pointedly about
your interest academically and socially, and how that school can meet your needs.
The next step is really to enjoy the campus in a more open way.
I want you to find out where students eat lunch, and have dinner.
Go into those spaces.
I want you to think about and try to experience, well, what are campus
experiences like when students get out of class, and then go to their next class?
How connected is the campus?
Are students taking a bus from one side to the other or is it all compact?
Is it a school in a city?
And how do you get a sense of where the campus buildings are versus maybe
the general population of the city?
We want this to be free-flowing, but we also want this to be authentic.
We want you to have a sense of what life would be like day in and
day out on that campus.
If you stay overnight, perhaps you'll stay overnight with a student and
sit in on some classes the next day.
Experience academic life in that manner.
If you're staying in a campus and they're having an evening out,
a movie night out or an athletic event, go to those events.
Don't stay in the room and kind of do your homework,
although you always need to do your homework.
But make sure that you get out and experience that place.
And then take notes, it's going to go very quickly and if you visit more than four or
five schools, they're going to start blending together.
Write down those attributes and how they connect to your original list,
what you're looking for, your identity and what you hope for in a college community.
[MUSIC]
>> So Skylar and Rakim, I'm curious because you'll be applying this fall.
What does your college list look like?
What schools are you seeking to apply to?
>> So when I first started off, I had three schools on my college list.
And I honestly thought that was good.
And I took it to Miss Gianna who works at Stepping Stone,
who's our college counselor, and I showed her my list.
And [LAUGH] she was like, are you serious?
And I'm like, yeah, those are my schools that I want to go to.
So she's like, you need more.
And I'm like more, I like these three.
And she kind of helped me figure out my list.
And my top three are Duke University, Lehigh University, and Temple University.
>> Okay.
>> And I really want to go to Duke University.
But I also have schools like Boston University, Tulane, Wesleyan,
and then Florida A&M.
I've pretty much been looking at schools who have really great engineering
programs, and who are also need based.
>> Okay. >> So, I need the money.
>> Okay.
[MUSIC]
So Ben and Courtney, because you both have had experiences on either
end of the college matriculation spectrum, I'm curious as to whether or
not you have any advice for first generation students, or
students in general, about the college application process?