Schools
SPFHS College Night Offers Students Chance to Explore Their Options
A record number of colleges were in attendance at the annual college night this Thursday night.
Parents and students from across the area packed the gym and cafeteria of Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Thursday evening for the chance to chat it up with college and university representatives from across the country. The college night, which happens every October and is co-sponsored by the high school counseling department and The College Club of Fanwood-Scotch Plains, is a chance for those about to head off to higher education to gain info on a wide variety of collegiate options.
With about 120 schools in attendance, there was a lot to choose from.
"(There are) a lot of places to look at," said Ilea Santiago, a junior who is interested in international studies, political science, and languages. "A lot of programs you are told are the best, but you are not sure."
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Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Northeastern, Stanford and Virginia Tech were among the schools scheduled to attend.
The College Club, which was at a table by the door directing incoming parents and students, told Patch that they put a lot of hard work into making the event a success. College Night's co-chairs, Colleen Fay and Marilyn Bartley, noted that there was a record attendance of colleges this year.
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The College Club was also selling calendars, from which the proceeds go to the group's scholarship fund. The main purpose of the club is to provide scholarships to students. Last May, they awarded $25,000 to 11 girls.
Lisa Durett, a mother of a junior and senior, said that while an event like College Night can be overwhelming because it's hard to know where to start, it's certainly beneficial
Durett said that her children liked looking at schools' Web sites, but that she preferred getting the "old fashioned" paper handouts to sift through when choosing schools.
Charles Zhou and his father also felt that the evening provided them with information about "a lot of universities that we didn't know about before that are attractive."
The event was not only a big deal for the participating parents and students; the schools benefited as well. Rosemont College representative Jonathan Squire, said that all of the colleges look forward to the SPFHS fair.
"It is unique and the kids out here are great kids," he said.
