If you are a college-bound junior, it’s time to begin forming your college list, which means attending events, tours, meets and much more. 

In a survey sent out by Talon staff to juniors, 73% of the 122 that responded had never met with their counselors to discuss college. Instead, they choose to tackle the challenge individually. Is going about the college process alone really the best way to prepare for college, or are students setting themselves up for failure when they could be using many of the resources available at OPHS?

College representative visits, college fairs, financial aid presentations and so much more are all offered as a part of Oak Park High School. But each of these events has a purpose. Specifically for college representative visits, it’s a great way to get involved and learn more about the types of schools you may be interested in.

“The more they [juniors] come to these meetings, the more they learn about what college life is like,” college and career counselor Amanda Fitts said. “They learn about the differences between the colleges and different opportunities, such as study abroad programs, academic programs and extracurricular opportunities.”

Students can demonstrate an interest in the schools that visit, which is important since colleges track how engaged a student is with their school.

“Another reason for coming to these [college representative] visits is to build a relationship with the college representative, who many times is the person reading your application and at least helping to make the admission decisions,” Fitts said. “So, it’s really important that students build a relationship with that person and that they have asked [questions] if they had questions about the school that they haven’t been able to find on the website.”

However, a majority of the small sample of seniors and juniors who were asked if they had ever attended any events hosted by the college and career center said they had never gone or had seen very little of these events. Many juniors claimed it was too early for them to get involved in the process.

“I have, so far, not been that worried about college due to it still being relatively early for me to start college applications,” a junior who wished to remain anonymous wrote in a survey sent out by the Talon. 

In addition, some stated that they don’t have the time, already know where they want to go or are just generally uninterested in the school’s opportunities. Meanwhile, seniors state they don’t need to attend many of these events because they have already figured everything out.

“It seems like a waste of time to go to these meetings I’ve finalized my list,” a senior who wished to remain anonymous wrote in a survey sent out by the Oak Park Talon. 

Several students would like to go, but struggle to fit the events into their schedules. 

“It is during my [lunch] and it isn’t very convenient,” a junior who wished to remain anonymous wrote in a survey sent out by the Oak Park Talon. “I’m tired during lunch and just want a break. Thinking about college and actively listening to presentations creates stress and requires a lot of energy.”

Furthermore, many of these events also coincide with many clubs, sports and extracurriculars, making it difficult for students to join. Fitz explains that it’s difficult to coordinate times due to scheduling conflicts. 

“We are not permitted to schedule meetings during class time so that leaves lunch,” Fitts said. “And, we are not supposed to schedule meetings during support time which is from 2:05-2:45, we have to wait till 2:45. So, we understand that there are conflicts, it happens everywhere.”

If this issue occurs, there are still other ways for students to get involved with these colleges outside these events.

“If there is a college a student wants to attend and can’t because of sports or doctors appointments, ask Mrs. Preston or me for the college representative’s contact information and send them an email saying, ‘Hey, I’m really sorry I could not attend, I had a conflict. But, I’m really interested in [your] school.’ Then, the student can ask their questions,” Fitts said. 

In fact, those who do attend the events, find these opportunities to be very helpful. 

“I mainly go to college visits and stuff when they are colleges I am applying to,” a junior who wished to remain anonymous wrote in a survey sent out by the Oak Park Talon. “I also like to use the recorded versions of the presentations.”

When asked what other resources students wished could be provided, many said there should be more college counselors in general to help with the common app process. The first mandatory meeting with counselors to discuss college is at the beginning of senior year. In this case, many students may feel unprepared when college apps come around and they have not attended any of the school sponsored events beforehand. 

Students who attend these events stated that they felt it was very beneficial and worth going, whereas students who don’t struggle to figure out how to do it independently. It is evident and recommended that students, especially juniors and seniors, attend at least a couple of these events to help get a better idea about how the process works so that they can have the tools to be more successful in the future. 

Remember, there is always something new to learn by attending these events. To learn more, check out the College and Career website.