College - a family decision

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Liberty High junior Samantha Dowdy brought her mom, Kathy, to College Night so they could sort out the options together.

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North High’s (from left) Roxy Rupe, Sarah Billington and Hayley Sullivan will not mind a stiff neck from writing, if it gets them into college.

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High school counselor Katie Price helped father Ken and son Ken Clifton III Internet surf for information on College Night’s bank of computers.

Ten years ago, the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, along with contributing county school districts, came upon an idea that if you dedicate one night to promoting college and invite the parents, high school seniors will show up in big numbers. They did again on Sept. 14, when an estimated 4,500 students and parents packed their way into Bakersfield’s Rabobank Convention Center for the 10th annual College Night.

Organizers had all the bases covered. There were sessions on financial aid, scholarships, public and private colleges. Sessions were also held in Spanish to accommodate non-English speaking parents. Dozens of representatives from public and private colleges and universities across the United States, plus trade schools and the military, took their positions behind booths on the convention center stage, handing out brochures, accepting applications for information and answering hundreds of questions.

Three questions seemed to be the most asked:
“How much does college cost?”
“Which college is right for me?”
“What are the college entrance requirements?”

Right in the middle of the large crowd and between booths, Golden Valley senior Irving Valenzuela had his face inches from a scholarship application he was filling out. Valenzuela wants to attend college and major in graphic arts or engineering. As he wrote, his non-English speaking mother Anabel Cuen was looking over his shoulder asking questions.

“I am all the way involved,” Cuen said in Spanish. “It is his future and studying is the best thing he can do to make that future possible.”

Some college booths had huge banners to catch the eye in hopes of luring undecided students over to inquire about an education at their institutions. Even though it is located in far away New York, Cornell University with a big red wall banner was drawing a steady stream of students and parents to its booth. Representative Megan Winchell was ready with the answers for those seeking reasons to why they should go so far from home for a college education.

“As a land grant university, we have both private and public colleges on campus, which is very unusual,” Winchell pointed out. “We offer an agriculture major that is a good match for what is offered by colleges in the San Joaquin Valley. And the admission is $3,500.”

Another aisle over, representative Tim Hayes was enumerating for a small gathering crowd the many reasons they might want to think about attending Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, IN. “We are a small school with an enrollment of about 1,800 and classes are manageable with not more than about 20 students per class,” Hayes told them. “We are an engineering and science school, and you will be taught well. Ninety-nine percent of our faculty have a PHD.”

Naturally, the biggest crowds were centered around the hometown California State University Bakersfield (CSUB) and Bakersfield College (BC) booths. Walking away from the CSUB booth with a school pennant and a puzzled look on her face was Liberty High junior Samantha Dowdy, accompanied by her mother Kathy.

“I am kind of debating going to CSUB, but they don’t offer a pre-law major, so I am going to see what UOP (University of the Pacific) and some Ivy League schools have to offer,” Samantha said.

Kathy was supportive of her daughter’s desire to explore her options, even though she is two years away from attending college.

“Today you have to plan ahead,” Kathy said. “We have to research what scholarships and grants are out there. Samantha’s a good student, but we don’t want her saddled with having to repay huge student loans. That’s why we are doing it early, so she can take advantage of all the programs available to her.”

Speaking of programs, some students, wondering about whether they can make the grade to pass the entrance exams, were drawn to the Magna College Prep Services banner. In large bold letters it offered to “Raise Your Score on the SAT/ACT.” Many were busy filling out contact cards in hopes they could “Win A Free SAT/ACT Prep Course.” Founder Emanuel Mourtzanos used to be CSUB dean of students. He said the university asked him to teach students how to prepare for their MBA. He was so successful that Mourtzanos decided to personally tutor students, preparing them to succeed on the SAT and ACT exams, and he started a business.

After seeing all that was available, some students reaffirmed that staying home and going to BC for the first two years was the best of their options. Frontier High senior Phil Cunningham was leaning that way.

“BC has a great pre-engineering program, that I have heard is one of the best in the state,” Cunningham said. “I think if I do well there, I can transfer as a junior with a scholarship.” As he looked over at his mother Charlotte, Cunningham added, “That’s what my mom did, and it worked for her.”


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