As the school year starts, upperclassmen at Edina High School, specifically seniors, are looking into college options as application deadlines come closer. That’s when EHS’s College and Career Center comes into play. Students are encouraged to use the center to find a school that fits due to EHS’s connections with colleges all over the country and easy attendance times.
Within the college application season, the center has seen an abundance of visitors. “In the fall through Dec. 15, we will probably host 150 college visits,” College and Career Center Lead Molly Thuma said. “But other than that, kids come in for application help, essay writing, . . . scholarship searches, and help on how to start doing applications for colleges.”
Usually around this time of year, they work with seniors like Elena Loucks, but all ages and grades are welcome to walk into the Center and get assistance with a wide range of things from scholarship application to essay help.
“It’s also [dependent on] what time of year is it, so if it’s suddenly spring, they’re a senior, and they have to make a decision on where they want to go to school, then that’s when we hear a lot from students,” Minneapolis Community & Technical College representative Sheryl Fields said. “But… what’s helpful is that in the fall they can start to get some information, get it set up so that they know where they’re going.” Fields said.
Recently, the Center has also been doing virtual tours of the college, which increases accessibility. Now they’ve started doing virtual tours, which makes tours a little easier to organize and to have more often. “They’re great. I mean, I know they do virtual tours now, but nothing’s the same as going in person, and actually seeing yourself in the school,” Loucks said.
“We post a lot of stuff on Schoology about scholarships, upcoming visits, little tidbits that if you’re paying attention to that, can really help your college application process…we’re not just putting stuff out frivolously, we think it’s important for kids to look at,” Thuma said.
