College and career center coordinator Joan Batcheller and counselor Duane Magno are taking up to 30 students to tour Santa Clara University on January 28, after winter finals. It is the first time a campus visit has been offered as a field trip to students.
According to Magno, students will be transported by a chartered bus, and will spend the whole day on the Santa Clara University campus.
Batcheller found inspiration from Magno, who conducted college trips at the high school he worked at last year, Castro Valley. “At my previous school, we did it as a way of outreach and to try and get students thinking about college and getting them exposed to different kinds of schools. I took a student group on a trip to Stanford, and then to Berkeley, and then to SF State just to see kind of a private school versus a UC [University of California] versus a public school,” Magno said.
Batcheller said she decided to take this trip because a lot of high schools already take college tours together, and this will be “an easy first trip” since it’s only an hour away.
“One, it’s close by and we can get there pretty easily. Two, she [Batcheller] has really noticed an increase in students who are applying there. It’s the school that students end up applying to that they know it’s a good school, they know it’s in the Bay Area, but they don’t often times know a lot else about it,” Magno said. “In talking with a lot of the seniors I’ve been working with, a lot were applying there, but they hadn’t actually been on campus and didn’t really know the particulars.”
“Visiting college campuses is an important part of deciding what colleges to apply to and where you ultimately will attend,” Batcheller said.
According to Batcheller, the cost to attend the trip will be $15 per person. Registration closes January 9, and students can sign up for the trip either on the Campolindo online webstore or with Batcheller in the college and career center.
10 students had signed up as of December 5.
Batcheller said that the students will be meeting with the college admissions counselor, tour the dorms, and eat in the cafeteria. “Touring Santa Clara University will allow students to start figuring out what they want or don’t want from their college experience, and also give students an opportunity to meet with Campo’s admission counselor at Santa Clara University,” Batcheller added.
“A college on paper may sound good, but you need to actually walk on the campus, meet the students, eat in the dining commons,” Batcheller said. “It is crucial to get a sense of what kind of students and community that college represents. This is going to be your new home for four-five years and you need to know that it is the right fit for you.”
“Visiting campuses on weekends or during break does not give you the energy and complete vibe of the school. I like to compare it to visiting Campo, Acalanes and Miramonte on the weekend. Just looking at buildings doesn’t give you a complete picture of the school environment,” Batcheller added.
“One of the things we’re thinking about is kind of getting students exposed to schools. Maybe they know a little bit about it, maybe they don’t know much at all,” Magno said.
