Making a college decision is never an easy choice, but once you have experienced the difference between a small community college to a larger one, the choice will become easier. The difference can be seen once you walk into the campus, and you can get a little taste of the college life style.
The AVID and Johnson’s Scholars, both went to Lynn University and Florida International University. They left campus at 8 a.m., and they arrived at their first stop at around 9:30 a.m., which was Lynn University in Boca Raton. They watched presentations about what colleges look for, and that SAT scores and ACT are a factor for getting into college, but that this doesn’t determine their complete admission to a college or university; that they just want a well rounded student.
While they were there, they also got the chance to see the dorms and have an idea of what small campus life is about. They also got to be where the presidential debate had occurred last year. To some, this was something they have never experienced before and were excited to be in the same room.
“I was surprised when I found out that we were in the same room where the presidential debate took place,” said senior Daisy Morales. “I knew that they had done the debate somewhere near, but I never imagined that it was this close.”
Johnson’s Scholars is a program that has been in Santaluces for five years now. The students in the program start during their freshman year and follow requirements such as having to be first generation college students, having a good GPA, and having no big behavior problems. They are recommended by a college-prep teacher that they had during their freshman year, meaning that they have to have a certain teacher.
There are 10 scholarships available for the students and when they get to their senior year and it becomes a competition on who gets the scholarships. This year there are eight students, this means that everyone will get the scholarship. Once they do, they will receive $25,000 for each of the four years of a college or university.
Although they only spent a small time at FIU, they still got a chance to get a glimpse of the campus, and compare it to Lynn. When they got to FIU, they were also greeted by another presentation and a tour around the campus; they saw that there was a difference in the atmosphere, that the campus was way bigger.
In this college tour they had the chance to view different life styles, from a large university to much smaller one. The tours are supposed to make them think about their future as a college student, and make the decision on where to go after high school a little bit easier.
