Oh, to be a high school junior living along the I-680 corridor. A typical East Bay high school junior is between 16 and 17 years old, has probably just come into possession of a car and is undoubtedly thinking about their college options. Life is good and they have the world in front of them. I acknowledge that their class load, friends, work, extra-curricular activities and issues with parents (forgive us for loving you so much) can be a bit challenging, but if they play their cards right, in two short years they’ll be heading off to the college of their choice. College selection ranks as one of the most important decisions a young person is asked to make. A college degree positively impacts a person’s self-esteem, employability and earning potential. Not to mention, it serves to eventually sever the financial umbilical cord from parents.
My family and I are planning a visit to the University of Arizona and Arizona State. Kacy H., MVHS Class of 2016
A great many families will be incorporating college campus tours in their upcoming vacations. Our family, who will be heading to Texas for Thanksgiving, has already scheduled school visits at Southern Methodist University, Texas Christian University and Baylor University. Call us odd (everyone else does), but ever since we visited Harvard University while in Boston about ten years ago, our family has tried to incorporate a campus tour whenever and wherever we’ve been on vacation. So far we’ve seen Georgetown in Washington D.C., University of South Florida near Tampa, Boise State in Idaho, Columbia and NYU in New York City, and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In past trips to Texas, we’ve been through Texas A&M, Rice, and University of Texas in Austin.
Then there were tours of Fresno State, Cal State Northridge, UCLA, Pepperdine, San Diego State, UCSD, and University of San Diego, during numerous adventures in Southern California. We’ve even done day trips to CAL, Stanford, and UC Davis locally. Sadly, we missed Oxford when in England last year, but knowing they don’t have much of a football program, it probably wouldn’t have made our short list.
Needless to say, we’re well stocked when it comes to hoodies, t-shirts and flannel lounge wear with college logos.
I’m going to tour Ohio State. Conner B., MVHS Class of 2016
When planning to visit a college or university it’s best to book a tour in advance. The traditional campus walking tour usually takes about 90 minutes and begins in the university administration building or student union. In most cases, a student volunteer will lead the tour and answer questions. It’s a chance for high school students to view the school’s various academic and athletic facilities, observe classes and experience campus life from the safe confines of an organized group. It’s a lot like a safari jeep ride through a wild animal park.
Somehow, every tour ends at the Student bookstore. Truthfully, the best part of a prospective college campus tour may be the quality time parents get to spend with their children. As self-assured as your high school junior may seem at home, most are a little overwhelmed when walking a college campus for the first time.
I want to visit my dad’s alma mater, Stanford, as well as the Ivy League schools (Princeton, Yale and Harvard). Conner S., SRVHS Class of 2016
Interesting enough, a lot of kids will have a tough time getting into their first choice of colleges. From what we’ve seen, the UC system requires an 8.0 GPA and a perfect 2400 SAT score (plus ace the extra credit questions) to be worthy of consideration. At the same time, there are some highly desirable out-of-state schools where acceptance is just as tough. My guess is, colleges in Minnesota might be the exception, where 7 of the top 10 coldest weather college campuses are located. The University of Minnesota—Morehead (Ranked #1 coldest campus)—might consider eliminating academic requirements for California kids all together, as an incentive to increase applications. Unless I’m mistaken, their brochure tag line reads, “Just pack warm clothes.”
I’m looking forward to touring Pepperdine, Cal Poly SLO, USC, and Chapman. Jasmine D., MVHS Class of 2016
My friends and I agree that most of us would have trouble finding a college that would accept us (outside of the Minnesota schools) given our mediocre high school grades. I’m happy to report that kids today take their high school studies so much more seriously, due in large part to the competitive nature of college admissions. If memory serves me, the toughest class I had my junior year was an English class where we read such tame literary masterpieces as The Count of Monte Cristo and The Scarlett Letter. Unless I’m mistaken my daughter’s class is currently reading War and Peace, The Bible (for literary purposes) and the collective works of William Shakespeare. Math and sciences were my scholastic kryptonite. I may have stumbled through Algebra I and Geometry, but I truly had to grovel for a passing grade in Biology. My little girl is already trudging through chemistry and Algebra II. I knew my collegiate future was going to be at the local community college (Foothill JC) followed by a state school (CSU Northridge), so in my mind there was no point in pushing myself. Given the choice between trigonometry and photography, taking pictures won every time. Sadly, film developing is a lost art. It’s not uncommon for today’s high school junior to be a student athlete, enrolled in several AP classes, a member of a school club, and involved in at least one community service project.
I can’t wait to visit Scripps Institute at UC San Diego. Ally A., SRVHS Class of 2016.
My wife and I encourage our high school junior daughter to think big and we want her to attend the college of their choice (within reason), but that means buckling down with their studies. Allow me to say, I am crazy proud of how hard both my girls work to bring home good grades. To say I’m a little envious about their future is an understatement. To be a high school junior with a world of opportunities in front of you would be surreal. I try and explain to my daughter that it’s different in other parts of the bay area, state and country, where economics play a significant part in your advanced education opportunities, but for most along the I-680 corridor, attending college is a forgone conclusion.
I never even visited Fresno State before committing to go to school there. It was close enough to home for my parents not to object and it had the major I wanted. Julie C., Marina High School Class of 1979.
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