Mira Costa College and Career Center holds out-of-state college mini fair

By Ryan Demarest

Staff Writer

The Mira Costa College and Career Center hosted the out-of-state college mini fair in the cafeteria on May 11, where students met with admission representatives and regional recruiters from twenty four different colleges and universities outside of California.

Represented schools at the mini fair included colleges such as the United States Naval Academy, the University of Tennessee and the University of Arizona. Admission representatives and regional recruiters lined up across the cafeteria walls, answering student questions concerning applications, campus life and financial aid.

“Representatives can give you information about our colleges specifically, and they can also help you through the college search process,” University of Arizona Regional Recruiter Emily Wright said.

Regional recruiters inform students on what different colleges are looking for, how to prepare applications for specific admission requirements, how to find different financial aids and scholarships. They also provide information on how in-state schools compare to out-of-state schools.

“It is always good to consider out-of-state options because there are many programs that aren’t affected in California,” Wright said. “Being able to look out of state and consider other options out there is very important.”

College fairs are a very common occurrence on the Mira Costa Campus. The mini college fair representatives travel to various high school in the South Bay area, such as Redondo Union High School, Hawthorne High School and Torrance High School.

“It was really helpful to have all these different representatives from a lot of familiar colleges that I could talk to,” Costa sophomore Shelby Seivert said. “It cleared up a lot of questions I had about college applications.”

According to college counselors, college fairs are held on the Costa campus for the purpose of educating students on the different aspects of college such as applications, financial aid and scholarships.

“Out-of-state college fairs give students the opportunity to expand their horizons,” college counselor Helen Codron said. “It is likely that kids are already familiar with colleges in the area, but there are thousands of colleges across the country that offer very interesting academic and extracurricular opportunities, and the chance to experience a different lifestyle and environment, as well.”