Davis & Elkins College Admission Counselor Samantha Davis shows Tucker County High School students around the campus Friday. More than 90 senior and junior students attended the “College Day Tour,” where they could meet with representatives from more than 40 colleges throughout the state and surrounding states, as well as military service representatives.
By Beth Christian Broschart
The Parsons Advocate
ELKINS – Davis & Elkins College was filled with more than 800 teens Friday, hoping to learn more about their future education options as the College hosted “College Day Tour.” More than 90 Tucker County High School students traveled to the tour, where they were able to talk with representatives from more than 40 regional colleges and representatives from different military service branches.
TCHS Principal Jay Hamric said he thought it important for the students to get a taste of college life.
“This is the most students we have ever brought to this event,” Hamric said. “It represents about 2/3 of our juniors and seniors from the school. Some of our kids have never been on a college campus and just coming down here and taking a tour, gives them the opportunity to feel the vibe and see what a college campus is like.”
Hamric said the visit gives students a vision of what they are working toward.
“I think it gives them a real, tangible vision of where they want to be in the next year or two,” Hamric said. “It is great, because the schools here today were not only ones from West Virginia, but also from Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland. This gives students a different mix of colleges. We ask the kids to talk to all of them. At the end of the day, the students need to select their top three choices and figure out what is best for them.”
Matt Shiflett, associate director of admissions at D&E, said the event gave students the opportunity to talk with college representatives and get information on admission processes and visiting the various campuses.
“It brings the colleges to the students under one roof so they can decide which colleges they want to learn more about,” Shiflett said. “Some of the colleges helped students make application, and the fees were waived.”
Shiflett said D&E hosted more than 800 students from eight high schools including those from Barbour, Lewis, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Randolph and Tucker counties. He said some students received a tour of D&E, and some even ate lunch at the D&E Cafeteria.
Dillon Husk, TCHS senior, said he wanted to attend the college tour because he was on a fact finding mission.
“I wanted to find out more about the colleges in the surrounding area,” Husk said. “Specifically, I was looking for information about Glenville State and West Virginia University. I learned lots of things about each of these schools.”
Cheyenne Summerfield, TCHS junior, said she found the college tour helpful.
“I enjoyed talking to representatives from the new colleges and learned what they had to offer,” Summerfield said. “I talked to folks from Pierpont College. I would like to be a nurse and learned about what they have. It has been a good day.”
Hamric said he was pleased to find more than just colleges at the tour.
“There were vocational and technical schools as well,” Hamric said. “It offered many choices for post-secondary education for the kids.”
