Students Take a Second Look at Their Futures

Last Friday, upper school students virtually explored over 300 colleges for the annual SBS College Day like never before. The Office of College Guidance headed the event along with College Guidance Fellow Danielle Tackett '22. Tackett stated that “College Day provided the unique opportunity for students to connect with colleges and representatives without stepping out of the classroom.” Students used a virtual visiting program through the Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Office (TACRAO). Its user-friendly interface presented them with information, videos and tools to learn about the college of their choice. 

Resources 

The virtual platform included a chat feature that allowed students to communicate directly with collegiate representatives. It also contained virtual tours and videos that gave insight into student life and college experiences on campus, such as housing and sororities. This resource allowed representatives to contact students even though they couldn’t visit in person due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Through the website, students could filter schools based on campus size, region, institution type, major, application style and even campus environment. Students were able to send colleges their information through the click of the button, making colleges aware of their interest. Tackett also worked with the Office of College to provide students with questions to consider asking representatives at prospective colleges. 

More than One Day

College day can play a vital role in the student’s application or decision process, especially in this climate where in-person visits may not be available. Furthermore, having it virtually allows younger students “to reach out and take a look at their futures” (Tackett '22). The website will remain accessible to students until early November, so they can continue to explore its resources and glean important information about the type of colleges they are interested in. Students can even set up extra virtual visits or informational sessions, as well as communicate via email with college representatives if they have further questions. It also offers helpful tools that will benefit current SBS seniors in their college application process. 

Virtual college day proved a major success among students, opening their eyes to a wider range of colleges than they have had the chance to discover before! With so many options available, students could still form a personal connection with different schools and their prospective representatives. A special thanks to the Second Baptist School Office of College Guidance for their ingenuity and hard work to ensure excellence in provision for its students' futures.