As piles of tests and essays denote the end of the first academic quarter, MSMS students shifted their focus to the annual College View on Oct. 9. Wearing their best, MSMS juniors and seniors convened in Pohl Gymnasium with curiosity and questions for prospective universities.
Participating colleges and universities ranged from in-state schools — including Mississippi State University, the University of Mississippi and Jackson State University — to out-of-state schools — including Harvard University, the University of Alabama in Huntsville and Louisiana Tech University.
With numerous institutions of higher learning present, junior Jennifer Bui said the event offered further insight and finalization into her college plans. In addition, Bui said she enjoyed the event as it enabled her to become more acquainted with schools previously unfamiliar to her.
“College View opened my eyes to colleges I never thought about before, and there may be more opportunities for me somewhere [other] than my dream school,” Bui said.
Senior Ean Choi said it allowed him to finalize his post-graduation objectives.
“As a senior, I was already determined to stick to my college plan and major,” he said. “The college fair was more of a way for me to lock in my plans.”
Although the event provided insight, overall, Bui and Choi said it failed to reach their expectations. Choi said there was scarce representation of schools outside of Southern states compared to previous years’ College Views.
“This year’s college fair did well to introduce a variety of colleges in the local area and across the nation,” Choi said. “[Nonetheless,] I was expecting more as last year’s college fair was larger.”
Adding to the array of schools at College View, MSMS alumni Ashley Claytor and Kim Smith returned to represent their respective colleges: Ole Miss and the University of Nebraska, respectively. MSMS alumnus and English teacher Theo Hummer also represented her alma mater, the University of California Berkeley.
“I loved [UC Berkeley]. I had a really good experience there, and I would love for other [MSMS students] to check it out,” Hummer said. “I think [they] have a better chance than anybody else in Mississippi of getting into [the university].”
Hummer also said she believes in College View’s significance, especially since the MSMS community strives to prepare students for life after high school.
“[College View] helps MSMS students start thinking early about where they want to go. Now or the beginning of your junior year is the right time to start picturing yourself in various schools,” Hummer said. “You need some time to fantasize about what [college] would look like [for you], [so you can] sit with [those ideas] and think about what makes you happy. I’m glad [MSMS allows] people to start thinking about it at the beginning of their junior year.”
