Juniors and Sophomores Embark on College Tour
A group of 20 juniors and sophomores recently returned from a five-day college tour in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. The group, which also included four college counselors, visited 11 schools: University of Washington; University of Puget Sound; Lewis & Clark College; University of Oregon; Willamette University; Reed College; University of California, Davis, San Francisco State, University of California, Berkeley; University of San Francisco; and Stanford University. A variety of different sized schools were represented, with the largest school, Washington, having 39,000 students and the smallest, Reed College, with 1300.
Director of College Counseling & Academic Planning, Ross Mankuta, expressed the value of visiting a college campus and experiencing firsthand the feel of an institution while getting to interact with current students and community members. He encourages students to also visit local schools with their parents. The college counselors meet with every junior and their family before spring break to help them plan college tours for spring break or summer. Another benefit of the tours, according to Mankuta, are the relationships that are built between the counselors and the students on these trips. The counselors really get to know each student which aids them down the line in guiding them through the college admission and academic planning process.
During the tours, students met with alumni, admissions counselors, and explored the campuses. They visited student centers, the Hillels to learn about Jewish life on campus, dorms, and academic buildings. But there was also some downtime to enjoy the scenery and do a little sightseeing. San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle were a few of the cities they explored.
Associate Director of College Counseling & Academic Planning, Jessica Jackson, who was on her first Milken college tour, emphasized the importance of students looking beyond just the size of a school, but to also notice the lifestyle and culture of the schools, and to try to get a sense of what the student body is like. She recommends that students ask themselves, “Where will you find your next best friends? Where will you feel most supported and challenged within the student body?”
Jake Damico ’20 thought the tour was a very worthwhile experience. The trip provided him the information that he needs to make an informed decision about which schools he might want to attend. “Before this trip, I was nervous and didn’t know what I wanted in a college,” admitted Damico. “After this trip, I learned many things about myself and what I want out of a college.
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