We love talking to students about the importance of going to college, but we love it even more when our students talk to us about it. And that’s the idea behind the Sophomore Symposium, an annual event we recently held with our high school sophomores (or FG 13 as we say around here).
It all started way back in October when our students met with volunteers at our “Find Your Fit” event and identified the five most important characteristics to them in any potential college.
Since then, students have been doing their own research weighing the importance of location, size, financial aid package, course rigor, admission selectivity, clubs and organizations, student to faculty ratio, and popular majors. Staff have also been engaging students in discussions about the competitiveness of their application compared to other students, and what they could do to stand out in each of their target schools.
On a rainy evening last week, 19 of our students presented 1-minute speeches on the school they had identified as a good fit for their needs to an audience of their peers, family, volunteers, and FG staff. Audience members then had a chance to ask additional questions about their presentation, research, and school.
The students did an amazing job, and it was great to see them engage in discussions about why any one school would or would not be a good fit for them. Often, knowing what you want is the key to getting it.
I’ll leave you with a few fun facts our students uncovered:
– Holy Names University (presented by Joanna) was founded in 1868
– University of Southern California (presented by Luis) has over 25,000 alumni outside of the U.S.
– University of Maryland, College Park (presented by Jessica) has an official paintball club
