One step closer

College Night is an opportunity for students and parents to engage with colleges from all across the country and learn more about what they offer. It also exposes students to many colleges that they may not have heard of before, resulting in finding the perfect college match. For sophomore Cameron Kosel, attending the April 17 College Night at Grosse Pointe South High School allowed him to engage with numerous colleges and broaden his understanding of available options.

Looking for colleges as early as possible, Kosel wanted the chance to explore the possibilities of what the future may hold for his academic career. 

“I attended College Night because college as a whole is an intimidating part of my future that I know little about,” Kosel said. “I wanted to gain more knowledge so I could figure out a path for myself to eliminate some of that fear and anxiety.” 

South counselor Jennifer Vick understands that with each option comes different experiences and emphasizes how important it is to express yourself and interest in schools. 

“There are so many different kinds of schools, different sizes, and different programs,” Vick said. “I feel like that’s kind of a nice entry point because it’s the first exposure a lot of kids have to different schools they have never heard of. It’s just really great face time, they bring literature, answer questions, so it’s great.”

With the array of colleges at College Night, Kosel proposed a straightforward adjustment — extending it. He believed that it would enable him to have more in-depth discussions with the colleges he wanted to connect with.

“I feel that if College Night lasted maybe just an hour longer, it would be beneficial because I wasn’t done talking to the colleges I wanted to talk to,” Kosel said. 

According to North counselor Jennifer Sherman, College Night’s purpose is not limited to exposing students to a 4-year experience where a student would earn a bachelor’s degree, but rather an array of paths such as trade or military school. 

“We now look at college as a plan to get you the education you need to go into the career you are looking for,” Sherman said. “This could be an associate’s degree at a community college, a certificate program at a trade school, or joining the military.  We’re open to any of these representatives joining us for College Night so our students can learn more about all the options that are available to them.”

While Sherman takes pride in supporting students when they apply, pay and decide, she empathizes with students who do not directly know their path. 

“I want each student to have an idea of where they want to start so that we can help them navigate applying, paying for the plan, and deciding before they leave high school,” Sherman said. “It is okay for your plan to change, and it does for many students, but I don’t want anyone to feel lost as to what’s next without the support that we can give them while they are in high school.”

Similarly to Sherman, Vick also enjoys helping students. At College Night, she guided students through the financial aid process because of the complications of recent changes.

“They changed the form which means they changed their website, and because they were rolling out the new website there were a lot of hiccups, and so everything got delayed and it’s been kind of a hot mess,” Vick said. “So it just seemed more relevant this year that we need to start promoting it more, explaining it more, doing a little damage control because it is important. It seemed like a great opportunity to let people know a little bit more about what’s going on there.”