On Monday, November 10, Westerville North High School sponsored its first College Application Day. The event was part of a statewide initiative through the Ohio Board of Regents, which is a state government board that oversees higher education, and Ohio’s Association of College Admissions Counselors (OACAC). They have designated November as College Application Month and are asking high schools to participate by creating events to provide access for high school seniors to apply to at least one school and give them an opportunity to receive help navigating through the tedious process.
Westerville North became one of the host sites to help promote this campaign. The school opened up a computer lab for interested students to come down anytime during the day to receive help applying to a college of their choice. They were guided through the requirements for that school, and provided with scholarship and financial aid information. All four guidance counselors were there throughout the day to help, along with representatives from higher education. The Ohio Board of Regents provided volunteers to assist with the event as well. Volunteers included Elizabeth Doyle, an admissions counselor at Otterbein; Alisha Couch, an admissions counselor at Ohio Wesleyan; and Jane Watkins an Educational Consultant for My College Advocate.
“I wasn’t sure how the day would go and if we would have any students come, but overall it was really successful,” commented Melissa Simashkevich, a guidance counselor at North. “We had a steady stream of students all day and a few came back to finish what they started. I think we all agreed that we wished they had more time because it takes more than a period to complete one application. We had about 45 students come through. We are hoping to build on it next year.”