Richmond County Daily Journal
Students can get a better idea of what college options are available at a College Night program Monday from 6 to 7:45 p.m. in the Richmond Senior High cafeteria.
For RSHS senior and Morehead Scholar nominee Farhana Shemna, only two schools are still alive on her list.
“I’ve applied to Carolina and State, and I’m really hoping its Carolina,” she said Thursday afternoon at the school’s Career Information Center. “Carolina’s been our family school, both my cousins went there and my sister goes there now, and Carolina’s a good school in academic and athletics, so I really like Carolina.”
Other students, however, may not already have their choices winnowed down that far, which is why it is vital parents and students make it out to Monday’s event, school officials say.
Looming application deadlines for next Fall’s semester don’t make matters any easier.
Representatives from approximately 50 colleges and universities, as well as military recruiters, are expected at the event to provide students and parents with information about their next step in life after graduation.
This event is free and open to all high school age students and their parents so they can explore future options.
Shemna explained her own thought process, and that of other seniors, in selecting a future alma mater.
“I think you definitely have to look at how many people have graduated from that school and gone on to be successful,” Shemna said. “I think you have to look at scholarships, what they offer and the percentage of people who go there and are on a scholarship. I definitely look at the type of people that go there — the diversity of the campus.”
She is hoping to study pre-med or political science, where she would focus on Middle Eastern studies. She said most of the seniors she talks with also have some idea of what they want to study.
Junior Sarah Russell also said she plans to attend the event, where she will seek out more information about her top three choices: UNC-Chapel Hill, Wake Forest and Davidson.
She said juniors also have some idea of what they want to major in, in most cases.
“(Juniors are mostly looking at) just what kind of SAT scores they take to get in, and I guess the average GPA of their students,” Russell said. “And graduate schools, and what programs they have you can major in.”
She said juniors, in most cases, aren’t making a final decision so much as weighing their options.
“Most of my friends have an idea of what they want to major in, so we kind of look at what the school has to offer based on what we want to major in,” she said. “I know one of my friends really wants to look at how happy the students are, she read something about that. That’s really important, because you don’t want to be miserable — you want to be a happy kid while you’re there.”
“We want students to come out and meet these wonderful representatives.” said senior adviser Jewell Price. “Seniors are in the time when they need to begin narrowing their selections. Eleventh grade students need to be collecting information about colleges and programs so they can make informed decisions when the time comes.”
She said students from the other high schools in the county are also encouraged to attend College Night.
In addition to College Night, RSHS will also sponsor a day-long SAT workshop Wednesday for students that signed-up in advance.
The workshop will be conducted by Dr. Larry Mills, and focuses on preparing students for the SAT exam.
“The key is that students should never take the SAT cold.” Price said “They need to do some type of preparation. They can buy a study book or they can look for information online through College Board and the College Foundation of North Carolina.”
RSHS has a number of efforts planned throughout the school year to encourage more students to think about college, Principal Cory Satterfield said.
“We want to see more of our students pursue higher education,” Satterfield said. “Our counselors and teachers are constantly engaging in conversations about the importance of SAT/ACT testing, financial aid, and other important information that will help them as they begin researching and applying to schools.”
High school counselors, throughout the year, are encouraging students to explore the College Foundation of North Carolina Web site, which provides resources that help students with the application process and financial aid.
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