It won’t be long before high school seniors with college aspirations will need to start filling out applications to the school or schools of their choice.
Hermiston High School will give those seniors an assist during College Application Week Nov. 4-7 at the high school. Last year was the inaugural year for the event and 63 seniors applied to 36 different colleges. Hermiston High School was one of seven pilot programs in 2012. This year, the program has been expanded to 36 different schools in the state. The event is sponsored by the Oregon University System College Access Programs Department.
“Our goal this year is to get every senior to talk to someone that week about plans for life after high school and to get 80 percent of our seniors to complete an application for some sort of learning after high school – trade school, military, internship, apprenticeship, community college or university,” said Liz Marvin, site coordinator for College Application Week at HHS.
The event is designed to help the state of Oregon achieve the 40-40-20 goal set forth by the Oregon Legislature in 2011. The Legislature passed Senate Bill 253 which set an ambitious goal that by 2025, 40 percent of adult Oregonians have a bachelor’s degree or higher, 40 percent have an associate’s degree or other postsecondary credential, and the remaining 20 percent will hold a high school diploma or its equivalent.
Applying to college is a critical step in attending and earning a credential. College Application Week helps open the door for students by encouraging them to take that significant step toward college in their senior year. It is particularly important for students who would be first in their families to attend college and students who have not yet seriously considered going to college.
Marvin said that during College Application Week, the school’s laptop lab will be set up in the Career/Counseling Department where students will come in during the day or evening, as it is conference week, to fill out their applications.
For more information, e-mail Marvin at liz.marvin@hermiston.k12.or.us.
