Representatives from the University of Alabama and Louisiana Tech University visited MSMS students to discuss their respective schools the week of Nov. 1 in Hooper Academic Building.

During the school day, students were able to briefly speak to the representatives about the majors offered at the school, tuition costs and other crucial factors that come with choosing a college.

Junior Ann Grace Donahue said having colleges come to the school is a great way for MSMS students to familiarize themselves with what they should look for in higher education.

“For people who don’t really know much about the college application process, events like this allows us to see what different colleges offer by talking to people who have first-hand experience from the school, rather than having to blindly pick which ones we should apply to and eventually attend,” Donahue said.

Some students also said the college visits gave them another opportunity to see whether they want to apply to those schools.

Junior Blair Diffrient said, “I think this definitely gives us the opportunity to narrow down what schools we want to apply to. Both [universities] visited the school a few months ago for College View, so now we can see if we still have any interest in those schools. If we do, we can have a conversation with those people about what else their schools have to offer.”

On the other hand, some students credited the colleges that visited with helping broaden their list of colleges.

Junior Jabari Stokes said he hopes more schools in surrounding areas can visit throughout the year.

“There’s a lot of other schools that I want to apply to, and I’ve only been able to learn about them online. I think if more schools came, it would give me a more realistic outlook on the school,” he said.

Overall, MSMS students have a positive perspective about institutions coming to visit the school. It gives them the opportunity to get a more realistic view of different schools and become more knowledgeable about what these schools offer to see whether they are the best fit for them.

“It’s good that we have opportunities like this because choosing the right college is important to so many MSMS students,” Diffrient said. “I think if we continue to have college visits like this one, it will really help us find the best school for us to thrive at.”