The On-Campus College Visits season has arrived. For Juniors, these visits are a buffet of options, allowing them to sample the flavors of various institutions and begin to shape their collegiate dreams. Seniors, on the other hand, use these presentations as the final pieces of their decision-making puzzle, scrutinizing each detail to ensure their chosen path aligns with their aspirations. 

From in-state schools like the University of Central Florida (UCF) to Ivy Leagues like Columbia, upperclassmen have a wide range of colleges to choose from. However, are these visits providing the insight upperclassmen need to step foot into adulthood?

The purpose of these visits is to provide an invaluable opportunity for PPCHS students to explore their options, ask burning questions, and get a taste of campus life without leaving the comfort of their school. It’s not all about GPAs and test scores; these ambassadors paint vivid pictures of campus life and the local area, giving students a taste of what their future could hold.

Senior Mandisha De exclaims, “About the admission process they kind of repeat the same thing. But once they are talking about like the community life and things like that, housing like you get to see more of student life. So that is what I would say is helpful.” It’s like trying on different college “outfits” to see which fits best, making the daunting task of choosing a college a little less overwhelming and a lot more exciting. 

As this may appear overwhelming, thankfully, the BRACE coordinator Ms. Perez, will be there for students by supervising the on-campus college visits. At the University of Florida (UF) college visit, she exclaims that the purpose of the college visits provided to upperclassmen is, “… To get a glimpse of what the admissions process is like for them to actually start thinking about, okay, where am I going to go to school and just having like those internal ideas going.” 

Junior Caleb Mercado further inputs at the UF visit, “I feel like the college visit talks were very helpful in my overall understanding of the university, especially in terms of figuring out what these universities look for in terms of classes.” He then goes on to express how the UF visit was his favorite out of all the presentations he has been to. “For the UF Meeting, the auditorium was completely full, so there was a lot more engagement with the presentation, especially in questions asked. I don’t think the UF meeting really changed my perception of the school because I already had high hopes for the curriculum, and it met all of my expectations.” 

However, one presentation in particular changed Mercado’s mind. While at the Princeton meeting, he expresses how he didn’t realize; “How little options the school had for degrees, especially outside of basic math and science, even though it’s supposed to be a prestigious Ivy League.” This resulted in a change of mind about whether or not he should go to that college, showcasing the impact these college visits have on students’ decisions. He believes “… how beneficial these meetings are really depending on how just the speaker, but also how many people participate in the meeting.” 

As the final college presentations wrap up, it’s clear that these visits are more than just information dumps – they’re stepping stones on the path to making one of life’s biggest decisions. From exploring state-of-the-art facilities to immersing themselves in campus culture, students can gain a deeper understanding of what truly defines the “right fit” for their future college. Junior Jaylen Brown mentions, “Before I would go to them, I literally had no idea what school I was going to go to, but now I know a few that I’m looking into.”