Mac-Hi Senior Attends All-Expense Paid University Event

by KAREN STEELE

    Senior Erika Landa recently had the opportunity to go on an all-expense paid trip to Franklin & Marshall College in Central Pennsylvania. The event, which lasted three days and two nights, featured a thorough tour of all of the buildings on campus and encouraged the fly-in visitors to sit in on classes and hang out in the freshmen dorms. The college fly-in program also allowed her to learn more about some of her top schools. She learned that F&M has a supportive financial aid program with a 100% satisfaction rate and puts a much higher priority of academics than athletics. It highlighted how unique their business programs are. Attending these events increases students’ chances of being admitted to the school they visit.

“This was such a great experience,” Landa said, over a jigsaw puzzle and a strawberry Italian soda at Nature Gardens. “I’d recommend this to anyone.” Over the summer, she sent in applications to four different fly-in programs and was accepted by two: F&M and Buckwell University, her dream school, which she’ll be visiting in November. For both events, she was the only student from the Northwest accepted, and she explained how a lot more of the “prestigious” high schools on the East Coast have a requirement for their students to visit colleges their senior year. Because we don’t have the specific types of counselors that they do, Erika repeated many times she welcomes anyone to come up to her and ask her questions at any time - “especially Juniors,” she added.

    Another point that Landa made was that lots of colleges have some sort of fly-in program, though not all of them completely paid for. Attending these types of programs shows the schools that you have interest, and they will remember the students who have visited them, especially if the size of each class is as small as it is at Franklin & Marshall, which accepts only 85 business students every year. If you’re curious about a school, or passionate about a certain program, this will give you a lot of the insight you need, she said, explaining how much useful information it provided.

“There were so many different kinds of people, kinds that you’d never meet in Milton-Freewater,” she told me excitedly. The event broke stereotypes for her, and she met and interacted with people in ways that she would never had imagined. She provided some examples, such as a girl from Hawaii, a transgender individual, a few Alaskans, and some kind East-Coasters who broke the stereotypes she had in mind. “Get out of this small town. There are so many more options; explore, learn responsibility, be independent. Get a taste of the college life,” she encouraged.

    “Also, don’t wait until the last minute,” she provided as an addendum. To be able to attend the fly-in programs, most applications need to be turned in during the summer. Over and over, Landa explained her enthusiasm and how much fun she had, and she encourages anyone with any interest to contact her and ask any questions they might have. “It was the best experience of my life,” she ended, with a smile.