SCHOOL NEWS
Western High School Hosts College Fair
Choosing a college or university can be a very difficult decision. Once students
BY DEBBY TEICH
narrow down their choices, they often struggle with what is required for admission. Western High School recently took some of the mystery out of the process with its second annual College Fair, open to all Western underclassmen and parents as well as those from surrounding high schools. Western is one of seven high schools in Broward County that offer college fairs
within a three day period in late February. Many of the top colleges and universities throughout the country participate in the National College Fair in Miami, organized through the National Association for College Admission Counseling. These Broward County high schools piggyback on this event to increase their chances of attracting a wide variety of colleges.
“Students have to start thinking about college from the moment they enter high school” - Lisa Solovay, Western High School BRACE College Advisor
More than 65 colleges and universities attended the event at Western High
School, on the evening of Feb. 23. The list included most of the major Florida schools, such as UF, FSU, USF, UCF, Florida Gulf Coast, UNF, UWF, UM, FAMU, Stetson, University of Tampa, Jacksonville University, Broward College and Nova Southeastern University, as well as a variety of schools from across the country, like Boston University, Harvard, University of Chicago, Cornell, University of Alabama, Washington University at St. Louis, Purdue, Savannah College of Art & Design, the Art Institutes and more. Each one had a table set up offering parents and students an opportunity to talk informally with representatives and ask questions about admissions requirements, scholarships, campus life, necessary GPA’s and test scores, financial aid and anything else they wanted to know. Brook Simon was one of more than 300 people that attended the event. Although
she is only in her freshman year of high school, she is already starting to think about college. She is interested in attending the University of Florida and went to the fair to get more information. “I know so many people who had good grades, but did not get in to the University
of Florida,” said Brooke. “I want to make sure that I understand what I need to do so I have the best shot at getting in. I was able to speak to a school representative who gave me some good advice on what classes to take. I also discovered several small colleges at the fair that I might be interested in attending.” Lisa Solovay, Western’s BRACE College Advisor, who organized the event, visits
every 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade English class to help guide the students and answer any questions. She encourages the students to start building their academic resume as early as possible. Many of her discussions focus on Florida schools, since a large percentage of the school’s 3,200 students end up there as a result of rising tuitions, Florida Pre Paid and Bright Futures. In response, Mrs. Solovay recently took 54 Western juniors on a Florida Public University tour, visiting 6 Florida universities over a 3-day period. “Students have to start thinking about college from the moment they enter high
school,” said Solovay. “Colleges look at every grade they earn and course they take, beginning in 9th grade. All college-bound students should take the most challenging classes they can handle while getting involved in leadership and extracurricular activities to help set them apart from other students. I tell the students to focus on something they love to do and find ways to share it with other people.”
For more information, call 754 323-2409 or visit westernhigh.org
April 2010 · www.davietowntimes.com 17
College Bound! Students and parents had the opportunity to talk informally with representatives from more than 65 colleges and universities at Western High School’s College Fair.
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