The first quarter of the year can be seen as a time for students to connect with their teachers, meet their new classmates, and for some, get accustomed to a new school. For seniors, however, this time is actually the most stressful of the year: college application season. 

Since many students apply to more than a handful of schools, there are many things they must take care of, including submitting test scores and writing essays. On top of that, students need to research all of their options and find out which school is best for them. To assist with the college research process, Scarsdale High School has organized college visits right here on our campus. “College visits have allowed me to learn more about schools I am already interested in, and further demonstrate my interest in those schools,” said Palmer Vogt ‘22 who attended Babson College’s visit among others. 

Students were informed beforehand of these college visits during the summer through Naviance, a program specifically designed to help high school students with their college and career readiness. Then, as the school year began and seniors had narrowed down their options of colleges to apply to, they registered for the college visits they wanted to attend.

If the college visit was in-person, a representative from the school would come to a classroom and give an information session directly to the students who registered. If the visit was virtual, the student would have to go to a quiet place in the school where they could attend the visit and hear all the representative had to say. 

Not only are college visits a great way for students to see what schools offer, but they also provide valuable context about the place in which students may be spending their next four years. Topics discussed by the representatives included the application process, average class sizes, campus activities, how different majors work and many other things. “The visit was really informative, and it gave me a great first idea about [the school],” said Daniel Ndizeye ‘22.