Nearly 99 percent of Hillsdale High School seniors completed college applications during the Michigan College Application Week, which ran Oct. 26 through Oct. 30. Many of them may be the first in their family’s history to attend college.
“Of the 86 seniors who applied, 30 are the first persons in their family to try to attend college,” school counselor Dan English said.
Of the 87 students in the senior class, 86 showed up to application day and applied to at least one college, according to English.
“Acceptance letters are pouring in, and the seniors are starting to get very excited,” said accounting teacher Mindy Eggleston.
The Hillsdale High School college application week en- couraged students to apply for college through a door decorating contest put on by teachers, an application day, and a peer mentoring program called “Future Core.”
Teachers had the opportunity to decorate their doors to advertise the colleges they attended.
Students who helped dec-orate doors used that time to talk to teachers about college, and the students who did not help with the doors were able to stop by and ask questions.
English teacher Amanda Waidely won the contest. Her classroom door was decorated with the three colleges she attended, which includes Michigan State University, Spring Arbor University, and Trine University.
“The door decorating contest allowed students to find out where their teachers went and general information about those colleges,” Waidely said. Since many students are not able to go on college visits, the contest gave them an opportunity to speak with teachers who have graduated from the college in which they are interested.
“It got the students involved in their college search and asking teachers,” senior Sarah Kempa said. “If they don’t have time to go visit the college, then it is nice to ask a teacher about the experiences they had.”
Although the parents of many seniors didn’t invest in post-secondary education, college is becoming a necessity for many students to find work today. Encouraging students to attend college reflects changes in Hillsdale’s job market, English said.
“The manufacturing base is coming to Hillsdale so com- panies want graduates with knowledge and skills,” English said, “Manufacturing no longer requires simply a high school degree because there is so much technology involved now.”
Hillsdale High School doesn’t seek to encourage all seniors to pursue a four-year degree, but wants to make sure seniors know college is a viable option.
“We realize that for some people college is not the best option, so for some students we encourage them to explore junior colleges and training programs,” English said.
Eggelston selected eight seniors already planning to attend college to be mentors for the “Future Core” program. Each of the mentors advised a group of approximately 10 seniors in their college searches.
“Adults can talk to kids about college until they are blue in the face without results, but when a senior talks to his peer it makes a huge difference,” Eggleston said.
Senior Martin Petersen joined “Future Core” because he wanted to share his passion for college with his peers.
“A lot of students are unsure about their future,” Petersen said, “but they are excited to find out what they want to do.”
Joe Philipp, another senior in “Future Core,” said the college drive brought seniors together. “Everyone was involved in one big group to help others,” he said.