One of the most stressful decisions for many high school students is deciding on which college to attend. With so many choices available, how do you know which one is the right fit?
Knowing that, juniors at Lausanne embark on a trip the second week of school to colleges across the country to expose students to the college atmosphere and application process.
Regions are picked that offer students a sample of different styles of universities: public vs. private, liberal arts vs. applied science, smaller vs. larger, suburban/rural vs. urban and varying degrees of selectivity. It allows the soon-to-be graduates to discover their personal preferences. It gives them a point of reference for what they want out of a university as they explore potential schools around the globe.
This year, the Class of 2020 traveled north, visiting a variety of colleges in both the Kansas City and St. Louis areas.
"Our major purpose of this trip is for all students to get a feel for which mixture of college characteristics they may become a part of their college search," Director of College Advising John Hawkins said.
The trip also allows the advisors and college counselors the ability to work with students on the types of questions they should be asking when on college tours.
"We know that this process is very individualized, but our college tour serves as the introduction to major themes of the college search," Hawkins said.
Students get a small taste of university dorm life, as rooming assignments were created by the junior class advisors.
It also offers a sneak peek of what life away from home will be like and allows them to experience college life and decide what they are interested or not interested in.
Parents are kept up to date via the Eleventh Grade Trip blog, found here.
The following colleges were included on the junior class trip (click here for photo album):