This past Wednesday was the annual college night here at Wilsonville High School, where parents and families join the counselors for some excellent advice regarding the college application process.

For the first time,  this event held in the auditorium and it pulled in a big crowd at both the Spanish and English presentations. Our school counselors–Andre Abraham, Alyson Leatherman, Lucia Meza, and Christine Moon– as well as College and Career Advisor Lyndi Tucker, led the Thursday night meeting. They went over a variety of important topics including application deadlines, the common app, financial aid, and how to request transcripts.

Some parents attended college night without their students, however many students chose to come with their families.

Senior Dana Zaidan, who attended with her family, had this to say about College night, “It was super helpful for a student who is thinking of going to a four-year college. Both of my siblings have gone through the process, so I’m not completely new, but it was nice to have the counselors tell me specific things, and not just hear it from my parents.”

Senior Peyton Guenther also attended, “It helped me give a lot of information I’ve learned about applying to college to my parents. I also learned a lot of new aspects about the process.” 

Many students have already begun working on their college application, including Zaidan, “I chose to do an early application because the main colleges that I want scholarships for, require an early app. in order to be considered [for the scholarship].”

Another student, senior Alaina Bekebrede, is choosing to apply early as well because, “Most of the time they reply before winter break, and having that security is important to me.” College applications can be very stressful and some students including, senior Isaac Boger, are taking advantage of the early applications to, “Get it out of the way.”

With so many students choosing to send in early applications, getting this advice from our staff is going to be very useful. They went more in depth and discussed the importance of going to see your counselors, checking in with Mrs. Tucker, and visiting Naviance.

The college application season has just begun and students can expect more meetings like this throughout the year. There will be a family FAFSA night on October 4th, where financial aid will be discussed more in depth.

First generation college students can also take advantage of the Tuesday morning meetings beginning September 25th, where they can get more in-depth advice that maybe their families won’t be able to provide.