Whether you’re applying to college now or later, opportunities for students at North to learn about college preparation are only expanding. College Fair, on Sept. 9, and College Night, on Sept. 10, are two experiences where students can learn about college preparation in two different ways. 

On Sept. 9, North juniors and seniors went to learn about in-state and out-of-state colleges during the Probe College Fair at Lanier Technical College. According to Lanier Tech’s Facebook page, over 100 colleges were scheduled to attend the Forsyth County Probe College Fair. University of Georgia, Auburn University, Florida State University, and Texas A&M University were some of the colleges that attended the Fair.

According to Junior Andrea Adams, an attendee of the Probe College Fair, “there were schools from Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Arizona, [and others].” The schools there “offered their handouts and pamphlets” as well. Adams says that attending the fair “helped [her] see that [she needs] to think about [college] earlier and that there’s a lot of options [for school] out there.”

On Sept. 10, families of North sophomores, juniors, and seniors went to the Hub at 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. to learn about affordable ways to attend college and means to be accepted into college. The College Family Plan, a Georgia-based company that aids students in the college application process, attended the event and had notable appearances from instructors like Stacy Ridings, the senior director for the College Family Plan, and Paula Flatman, a college coach for the College Family Plan.

Lead Counselor Josh Owens directed the meeting. When asked why college preparation programs are important for North students to attend, Mr. Owens replied, saying that they help students “understand their aptitudes and how that fits into careers.”

The meeting also included parent and student guest speakers, such as Senior Rachel Omariba and North Forsyth parent Kelly Robinson,  who spoke about the benefits of college programs. Mr. Owens says that these guest appearances by students and workers in fields like healthcare, computer science, etc “carry more weight”  as students can see “what they’re doing on a day to day basis.” In the future, Mr. Owens and the counseling department plans to use the platform YouScience to help students “[form] interests in careers in college” and “[increase] career exploration in students.”

Student programs for college preparation are certainly on the rise at North, and with great reason. These outside-of-school opportunities definitely help North’s students find their pride, passion, and purpose for searching and preparing for college.

For more information about the college, visit North’s counseling page. A list of future college visits at North from September to October can be found here.