Senior Wildcats discover new opportunities at College Career Fair.

October 10th, 2018 is a huge day for the Senior Class of 2019 at Jenison High School. They use the opportunity to see which college to attend after high school during the College Career Fair, while everyone else (freshmen, sophomores, and juniors) take the PSAT. The seniors wander around the 200 hallway for  their presentations, and hope to find the perfect college. Representatives are eager to explain what their college offers and answer any questions curious students may have.

Why is the College Career Fair crucial? What if you are lost to which college you want to go to. You get spammed with many college offerings on your Gmail and become clueless to which of those are great. Going to College Career Fair can be a great start for those who looking for which college to apply for.

The day opens with seniors attending the auditorium at the beginning of school. They are told that bringing their school belongings is unnecessary. Other seniors that are in charge handed the schedules near the entrance. The seniors gather around their friends and talk with each other about the colleges. Then the counselors commence with their presentations to how the fair functions. This continues on until 8:40 a.m. The counselors dismiss the students to go to their first college presentation – Lake Michigan Credit Union.

The first presentation lasted around 20 minutes (so it ended at 9 a.m.). Before the students leave for their next college presentation, the representatives give each student a gift with the college’s/university’s name and logo on it. These gifts vary from chapstick, pens (simple or complex), or a poster. Then they receive a stamp on their schedule (as to make sure that seniors actually attended the presentation the schedule assigned them to). After the goodbyes are said, the seniors continue on to their next presentation.

One of many students, Dylan Bray, attended the GVSU presentation. He summarizes his visit this way.

“It was a cool experience to see what GVSU offered. They showed statistic regarding their college, like graduation rate, scholarship money, and much more. It left a great impression on me.”

At 9 a.m, the second presentation commences, this presentation is similar to the previous one. Representatives talk to students regarding great opportunities at the college and give the Seniors a stamp again. Then, in the end, they give gifts. The presentation finishes at 9:20 a.m. Continuing after the second, the third presentation lasts from 9:20 a.m. to 9:40 a.m. The fourth is the next from 9:40 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Then the final presentation is 10:00 a.m. to 10:20 a.m.

What is the Lake Michigan Credit Union? Depending on how your schedule is made, this may be the first or last presentation depending on the schedule. The Lake Michigan Credit Union talks about opportunities to work for them. They explain the benefits of understanding how to manage your money and how the world works. The representatives answer some questions the Seniors pose to the best of their ability. In the end, they give the Seniors some gifts with the Lake Michigan Credit Union logo on them. The overall experience is simply different than others. 

As Tim Nguyen summarized,

“The presentation was tedious to me, everything they said was tough to understand.”

After the last presentation (either the last college that scheduled for you or Lake Michigan Credit Union), all Seniors return to the auditorium for the last presentation. Seniors are told to turn in their schedule for a chance to win some prizes at a raffle. The counselors help the Seniors get their transcript to colleges/universities of their choice. Jenison High School partners with Parchment to make transferring transcripts easier and free. Seniors that receive their schedule also a code to sign up with. With instructions given by the counselors. Seniors have the choice to transfer their transcript without suffering a headache. After the presentations concluded, a raffle begins. The prizes vary from a shirt with the class of 2019 or a bag. Then the Seniors dismiss the auditorium at 11:15 a.m. to go to their fourth hour. They receive a Josten’s order form to get the graduation gown and hat, but it also includes a catalog to see the many pieces of jewelry they offer.

A few seniors may find their college to go to in the future. However, the fact remains that this is a great starting point for those who are clueless about where to start looking. The counselors recommend that you attend school when College Career Fair arrives. If you skip school, you’d miss out on your chance to seize an opportunity to achieve a great future.