The gym buzzed with energy on the evening of April 22, as students and parents moved from table to table, sampling a buffet of futures. The spread was Francis Lewis’s annual college and career fair, where eclectic tastes for all types of futures are always welcome. Representatives from dozens of colleges and programs lined the room, each ready to pitch their school and field questions from curious students and families. The lineup ranged from CUNYs and SUNYs to Ivy League schools, with options for students not headed to college too, including the Marine Corps and the U.S. Army. For students who haven’t yet found their fit, the fair is also a chance to discover lesser-known schools that might turn out to be perfect.
Venus Li, who is a junior, feels as if the fair better aligned her with what others in her age group want to pursue in her evaluation.
“My experience overall was really good at the college fair because I was able to help some stands advertise,” Li said. “It was interesting to meet other people who have other plans for life after Lewis and how each of them are different and reflect their interests.”
Jeimi Toribio, one of the college alumni representatives at SUNY Potsdam, stressed the perks of attending Potsdam. This applies to a wide variety of students that come from different socio-economic backgrounds.
“We are one of the smaller SUNY systems, which allows for more of a one-on-one connection with your peers, mentors, and professors, which is not as common in larger schools, unfortunately… that’s one big feature that stands out in SUNY Potsdam, it’s the sense of community,” Toribio said. “I am a first-generation student, and I know that many students that I speak to are as well, and being here allows me to show them that it’s very much possible to graduate at a SUNY school.”
Staff Sergeant Matthew Monarch from the U.S. Army had shown deep appreciation for the multitude of benefits that come with enlisting in his field. This may appeal to a multitude of students that aren’t sure if they want to pursue higher education right after high school or students who want to do something that motivates them.
“To keep it brief, we have full tuition coverage, a competitive pay blended retirement scale, full medical coverage, 30 days paid leave, both on the reserve active duty side, and then we have opportunities for full-time and part-time employment,” Monarch said. “If you have a drive to either serve your country or enhance yourself, we will provide the rest.”
Monarch also emphasized the values that are outlined and adhered to by everyone who joins the Army. This may be significant to many students at Francis Lewis since the school hosts one of the largest JROTC programs in the state, with hundreds of cadets planning on joining the army each year.
“There are seven Army values that we hold paramount in our training, which are loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage,” Monarch said. “It’s not up to you to have them already, that is something you learn along the way… I can think of very few jobs that invest in your future the way the United States Army does.”
Anthony Ochoa, one of the representatives for Princeton University, emphasized what the school has to offer, which is met with great recognition and reception.
“Princeton I would say has plenty of opportunities, we are a tier one major research institution,” Ochoa stated. “If you are excited about engaging in research, there’s plenty of opportunities for many students to reach out directly to faculty members to join on their research initiatives or find them through our undergraduate student research center.”
Ochoa also notes the different types of ways people can engage with campus resources, which includes experiences that go beyond staying inside of campus throughout one’s time at Princeton University.
“We accept credit from over a hundred different programs to more than 40 different countries for studying abroad, about 60% of students engage in some sort of university sponsored travel that lasts a month or longer,” Ochoa said. “We also have career and support through our career and development center for our students, and they offer different internships as well so plenty of kinds of opportunities to engage. Our pay center for civic engagement has different service opportunities as we have around 500 different clubs.”
Lots of monetary accommodations are available for prospective students at Princeton given that most Ivy League universities can be expensive. Typically well acclaimed schools like Princeton have bigger endowments and can invest in the futures of students that have good work ethic in their high school careers.
“Our financial aid program… it’s something that was really important to me when I was going to school, and we offer one of the world’s best financial aid programs in the entire globe,” Ochoa said. “We cover full need-based aid for every single one of our students and we cover the full tuition, room and board, housing, and personal expenses for most families within the United States making up to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year. We also cover the full tuition cost for families making up to two hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year.”
Aiden Huang, a sophomore at FLHS, noted the open lines of communication between the representatives of the colleges and the students that gave him more insight into application processes.
“I learned that certain colleges will have certain majors and also that some have an average,” Huang said. “They’ll show you the average SAT score and averages of people who got in. So, it just really gives you a mindset to how much you should really study, what students they’re really looking for.”
In the large pool of colleges that are up for grabs, Huang stated that college fairs are grounding and help students limit the scope of their college application to their genuine interests that align with their supposed major, which dictates your supposed future.
“Now that I know that there’s a bunch of colleges that I’d like to major in, then it just makes it so that you really know what colleges you can apply to now,” Huang stated. “There’s a lot of different communities out there and all the colleges could point you in the right direction because you can see all the different majors and maybe you might get inspired to go to college because maybe you want to major in a very specific thing.”
One thing that Toribio highlighted that is important to keep in mind is that college is a unique experience; this is something that changes a lot of people’s perspectives on the concept of post secondary education.
“I would say one thing about college is it definitely is what you make it up to be,” Toribio said. “Putting yourself out there, getting out of your comfort zone, taking advantage of workshops and events that schools offer. It’s a great way to network and to make new friends.”
