There's nothing like getting a head start, which is exactly what the NAACP is doing Sunday as it hosts an informational meeting on its second annual Spring Break College Tour.
Plenty of parents have planned for years exactly which college or university their child will attend, or at least which school they'd like the child to attend. And many teens know early in high school which collegiate student body they'd like to join once they graduate.
But likely just as many kids out there seek direction and perhaps don't live in households where attending a four-year college is an expectation.
Then there are the kids who figure they'll get in somewhere but haven't given much thought to where that might be.
"A majority of the kids who go on the tour are like that: They know they want to go to college, but they just haven't given the time to thinking about where," said the Rev. John Stewart, Gwinnett NAACP branch president.
The tour is an opportunity for students to visit at least 10 campuses in Georgia and Florida to help them make informed decisions and get a little taste of university life.
Last year, about 40 students took the tour, and some found it challenged preconceived notions they had about some of the campuses, Stewart said.
"Some of the larger schools we visited last year did a wonderful job of shrinking the school experience for the kids so they could see that a traditionally large campus doesn't have to necessarily be so overwhelming," Stewart said.
"By the same token, there were kids on the tour who thought they wanted a larger campus who discovered that they liked the atmosphere of a smaller school."
So far, the scheduled schools are Georgia Tech, Georgia State, University of Georgia, Spelman College, Morehouse College, Columbus State University, Albany State University, Florida A&M University, Florida State University and the University of Florida.
All high school students are eligible to participate in the tour, which runs April 4-8; however, space is limited. The tour will be chaperoned.
The entire five-day trip won't be devoted to all things academic. The tour will include stops at Walt Disney World, the Georgia Aquarium and the APEX Museum.
The tour costs $450 for NAACP members and $500 for nonmembers, which can be paid in installments. A limited number of scholarships will be available to students whose parents cannot afford the fee.
The informational meeting will be at 3:30 p.m. Sunday in conference room B on the second floor of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, 75 Langley Drive in Lawrenceville.
For more information, call JeJuan Stewart at the Gwinnett NAACP office at 770-972-9722 .
Posted By:
Sunday, January 22nd 2006 at 7:21PM
You can also
click
here to view all posts by this author...
