On March 14th, 2023 the George Washington Educational Campus hosted a college fair to help students make informed decisions about their post-high school plans. The fair ran throughout the school day and hosted 34 schools from around the region.  Representatives were available to answer a range of questions and to offer resources to support student decision making.  TCA Heights journalists Carolina Castillo, Kady Doumbia, Alex Ramos, and Oliver Castillo covered this event.

Talking with A College Representative:  

(Carolina Castillo and Kady Doumbia)

Melanie M, the representative from SUNY Potsdam, offered some useful knowledge about her school.  SUNY Potsdam is about a 6 hour ride by car and a 11 hours and 21 minute ride via bus. She mentioned that if you want to visit the school there is a chance to obtain a free bus trip overnight weekend trip to better learn about and experience college. The higher your gpa is the better chance at getting accepted into the school. When asked about what her experience in SUNY Potsdam was like she said “…So my college experience personally, Aw man, I had the best 4 years of my life. Like  going away for school from the city, you were able to find yourself… It was just a great experience to be away from the city lifestyle! Suny Potsdam is more suburban than it is urban… You are able to communicate with others on campus”. It’s always good to hear about other peoples experiences, especially the more positive opinions on it that can help your debate on whether you wish to go to college or not. Sometimes switching from a more city life to a more urban life can be more peaceful. You could explore nature more and there are a bunch of activities you can do such as, ice skating, hockey, snowboarding, snow tubing, and rock climbing. The housing in Potsdam sounds fantastic, being able to reconnect with nature and create new friendships because of these experiences is amazing. The different types of housings like for juniors and above suite style, Apartment complex and for freshman and sophmores dorming roommates, co-ed buildings. There are communal bathrooms and you can get help from an EOP advisor (if you have it) and the school’s guidance counselors. They also offer free tutoring programs that can very well benefit your experience in SUNY Potsdam. Now even if you go into a major and decide you want to do something else it’s okay because as Melanie M. said “I majored in accounting and a double major in business entrepreneurship… This is nothing like what I wanted to do. I am doing something completely different than what I went to school for. So I went to school mostly accounting… I’m doing higher education so I’m completely out of my range, however I’m still able to use my knowledge in the sense of finance and my current job and how y’know, how to save for college. I feel like this is something some people need to be aware of. It’s ok to switch your major or just to pursue something different than you originally thought! It would be awesome to attend one of the schools that were at the college fair. They all had amazing insight and opportunities for their colleges.   

Talking with Prospective Students:

(Alex Ramos and Oliver Castillo)

At the college fair, fellow journalist Alex Ramos and myself interviewed 7 members of The College Academy. We went out with the question- what motivates a student to attend college? Or rather, what factors go into a student’s thought process when regarding their future in college? Are schools doing enough to support learners? With this question in mind, we went out and interviewed students from varying age groups and even decided to interview two school faculty members. From these interviews, Ramos and I gathered the following; many students simply feel that their family and interests are what motivates them to pursue college. A few of the interviewees stated that they had their career plan and interests in mind when choosing a suitable college. Surprisingly enough, finances didn’t seem to be much of a concern for some of the interviewees as well. 

At the college fair, fellow journalist Alex Ramos and myself interviewed 7 members of The College Academy. We went out with the question- what motivates a student to attend college? Or rather, what factors go into a student’s thought process when regarding their future in college? Are schools doing enough? With this question in mind, we went out and interviewed students from varying age groups and even decided to interview two school faculty members. From these interviews, Ramos and I gathered the following; many students simply feel that their family and interests are what motivates them to pursue college. A few of the interviewees stated that they had their career plan and interests in mind when choosing a suitable college. When asked what his main concern was, freshman Aquiles Galindo replied “It’s simply my grades!”  Fellow freshmen Tion Long later replied that his main motivation was to “prove to my family that I’m smart.” With this information, I can conclude that grades seem to also be an incredibly large presence in a student’s judgment of college. So, what exactly can schools do to help with these worries? And, what exactly is The College Academy doing to help? Timothy Sigerson, the current principal of TCA, had the following to say; “I think The College Academy is doing its best, and there’s still room to do more.”  Principal Sigerson went on to describe the opportunities our schools have to create more resources to support our students heading off to college including hosting the Center for Supportive Schools at TCA.  CSS, our school’s community based organization, works daily to support students in applying to the college of their choice.  Applying to college may feel crazy and overwhelming but there are a lot of resources out there to help TCA students apply.