Jack Tonk, a retired Gary school educator and coordinator of College Night, said normally when seniors wait until now to look at colleges, it is likely to take longer to get accepted.
“You have a high number of students who are competing more than ever to get into college,” he said. “If you see freshmen, sophomores here, they are getting a head start.
Tonk said seniors still have a chance, but that this fair and the one at Purdue University Calumet are the only two major college fairs in the area.
“I have coordinated this one for 19 years after Indiana University Northwest stopped hosting it,” he said.
Patrica Wray Grady, associate director of admissions and recruitment at Purdue University Calumet, said their college night next week will have 60 vendors.
Having the vendors participate in both events has its advantages. Era Twyman, executive director of the Gary Literacy Coalition, is a 1964 alumna of Tennessee State University, which has had a vendor at both college nights for the past 14 years.
“Between the two college nights, we get at least 200 applications filled. We give the students options to just attending an in-state college or university. It includes being out-of-state and a historically black college,” Twyman said.
Oshunda Hines, 18, a senior at Wirt High School, is determined to attend Tennessee State University.
“I am going to major in computer science and they have a good program,” she said. “Plus it is in the midst of Nashville and it is a historical black college. I just want to be a part of that.”
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Thursday, October 20th 2005 at 11:23AM
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