College Visits Inspire Students to See Their Future
High school juniors and seniors in the USU STARS! GEAR UP program spent fall break planning for their future. Students participated in college bus tours where they got to see libraries, lecture halls, dorms, food courts, and recreation centers at local college campuses in Utah and Idaho.
Visiting Southern Utah University helped students see what the southern campuses had to offer. Credit: Focus Training
College students at Dixie State College answered questions about their experience and campus. Credit: Focus Training
Utah State University was part of the college bus tour to the north, after a visit to a few Idaho schools. Credit: Focus Training
While GEAR UP students visit colleges early and often, few have had the chance to go to six different schools over a short time. This fall, high school juniors and seniors in grants two and three did just that. They chose to tour campuses and take part in activities led by FOCUS Training and supported by our GEAR UP College Advisors and program staff.
Three overnight college bus tours started in the Salt Lake City area, visiting Salt Lake Community College and the University of Utah. From there, the south tour visited Brigham Young University, Snow College, Southern Utah University, and Dixie State College. At the same time, the north tour went to Weber State University, BYU-Idaho, Idaho State University, and Utah State University. Because of staggered fall breaks, a third tour had a shortened visit south the following weekend.
The advantage of visiting many colleges at once was that students had the chance to compare them. Each campus presented differences in student life, campus layout, community, size, and activities. As one student said, “This bus tour has opened my understanding about what college is and made me ready for college.”
Students talked with school representatives, college students, and mentors to get a feel for each campus. “I wasn’t thinking of going to college until I went on the bus tour," said one student. "It just got me thinking, maybe I’ll fit into this. I can find something that can be more of me and be more social with other people.” Through discussions, they learned that choosing a college is personal and all about them.
“I always knew I was gonna go to college, but this has really helped look at colleges in [the] state, and really focus on what each college has to offer,” said a high school junior. “This has really helped me gravitate to colleges that I didn’t think I would previously go to, so I think that is a great thing.”
Another big part of the college tours involved learning about admissions, scholarships, and financial aid. The juniors on the tour said that they learned that they needed to “spend more time focusing on the choice of college.” These students talked with mentors, peers, and tour hosts about each college and what was the best fit for them.
GEAR UP recognizes the importance of college visits. Dedicated site coordinators make this a high priority and take students to activities at local colleges often throughout the school year. There are many local opportunities to visit campuses near our GEAR UP schools. Some of these include Red Riot at SUU, Snow Blast at Snow College, Senior Days at USU Price, and Senior Preview at USU.
This Clearfield high school junior had the best advice for her peers. When asked about going on a college bus tour, she said “The sooner you can do it, the better. Get out there, go, start learning about colleges because it can help you so much to prepare for college in the future and get a good look at what you want to start doing in your life.”
USU STARS! GEAR UP grants two, three, and four will all be hosting college campus bus tours led by FOCUS Training in the spring of 2022. In addition to going to Utah colleges, these longer tours will visit campuses in California, Nevada, and Arizona.