October: a month of virtual college visits
Ava Memarzadeh, Staff Writer
n important time for the senior class of 2022: College Month. The Samo College Center counselors Ernesto Flores, Julie Honda, Rosa Mejia and Aimee Lem provided students with an itinerary of the opportunities in weekly update emails. The activities included virtual college fairs with representatives from UC’s, CSU’s and numerous private schools; and support for seniors having trouble with college applications. Although the month’s focus was the senior class, all grades were welcome to listen in on the zoom calls and ask questions.
College Counselors decided this month’s theme due to the convenience of the dates and their alignment with college deadlines. Some of the earlier application deadlines are in the beginning of November, allowing students to take advantage of the resources during October and reduce stress later on. Furthermore, the emphasis on this month during announcements and update emails made this a constant reminder for seniors to stay on top of their deadlines and reach out if needed.
The month was composed of a series of events that seniors were encouraged to take advantage of. The college counselors also provided students an opportunity to join a zoom call and learn more on the college application process and financial aid. Those unable to attend can find a recording of the session on the Samo website under the College and Career Center (CCC) updates. Students were also provided with college application support days, which were seniors only, and allowed in-person guidance on the application process, the common app essay and supplemental questions. Flores, one of the college counselors at Samo, was proud of the event.
“Sessions were well attended and people had great questions to ask, and we helped provide the services and support,” Flores said.
However, some students offered criticism. Senior Johanna James (’22) voiced her concerns about the execution of the informational events led by the college counselors.
“Honestly, college month was not as helpful as I thought it would be. All of the information was just directly from the colleges’ websites anyway so I didn’t really learn anything new,” James said.
Like James, many students came to the consensus that the events were not as effective as they were intended to be. In regards to the college fairs with representatives, the information in the slideshows could have easily been found elsewhere. However, what students expressed to be helpful was being able to connect with the admissions representatives personally and ask questions.
College Month also had a series of college fairs. The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NCAC) provided 397 colleges that students could register to attend their seminars. Besides the NACAC led events, Samo also had other college fairs with CSUs, UCs and independent colleges. Representatives from a CSU and UC system talked about the application process and answered questions.
The college fairs took place on zoom with admissions representatives from each school. Universities had a presentation that lasted around 5 minutes and it included information about the school’s location, academics, study abroad programs, student life, financial aid and the application process. After the presentation, those listening had the opportunity to ask questions to the representatives.
Some students such as Senior Julia Lim (‘22) appreciated the informational events led by the counselors and emphasized the help it provided for her.
“I attended several virtual college fairs and the Samohi College Application workshops. Each event has helped me with the application process and added a sense of urgency to complete it,” Lim said.
While the month of October is over, resources for college applications are still available. College Counselors will continue to update students with events and support such as the previous ones. During this month, counselors are prioritizing more individualized meetings with specific application support after school and over the weekends.
