Does Your HS Allow Students to Meet Visiting College Reps?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I will admit, I learn something new almost every day. ;)</p>

<p>This is sort of a corollary subject to what was discussed recently about students missing school days in order to visit college campuses.</p>

<p>This time of year at my D’s HS, as I’m sure at all of yours too, several colleges send admissions representatives who have designated rooms and times to give presentations and to meet with interested students.</p>

<p>I thought, “great,” some schools my D is interested in are pretty far away and this will give her a chance to at least get some information and see how she initially feels about some various colleges.</p>

<p>She came home the first day and when I asked how the presentation went, my D said she couldn’t go. Her teacher during that time period wouldn’t let her leave the class.</p>

<p>Huh? :confused:</p>

<p>This is an official school-sponsored activity. How could the teacher not allow her to go.</p>

<p>So, I called the high school to find out about this.</p>

<p>When I asked the head college guidance counselor about it, she said that over a dozen students had registered to attend the session for a popular college and, quote: “Oh, that’s why no one showed up.”</p>

<p>:eek:</p>

<p>The counselor did, in fact, confirm that it is completely up to the teacher whether or not to allow a student out of class either partially or wholly to attend a college session.</p>

<p>Based on my very informal data analysis, it seems that all<a href="%C2%93academic%20subject%C2%94">/b</a> teachers refuse to allow students to attend **100 percent of the time.</p>

<p>:mad:</p>

<p>Then what is the point of wasting the college reps’ time?
And what is the point of having students register to attend if they’re not allowed to leave class?</p>

<p>I suggested to the college guidance counselor – How about scheduling the sessions before school starts or after school ends or during lunch periods or during the open “block schedule” (study) periods?</p>

<p>“That’s a good idea,” she responded.</p>

<p>:rolleyes:</p>

<p>So, how about at your high schools and your thoughts.</p>

2

<p>At my school some kids sign up for those things just to get out of class. Teachers here are understanding and let everyone leave who wants to, even if they hadn’t previously signed up and just decide to go at the last minute.</p>

3

<p>a couple of years ago, my S had the exact same experience. </p>

<p>College Rep was visiting his HS campus, but Spanish IV teacher refused to excuse him from class since he had a quiz. He offered to do a make-up, but she declined because that would have required her to develop a second quiz.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Obviously, every HS is different, but I’m sure the sports coaches would not be pleased for their team members to be missing practice.</p>

4

<p>

That’s the approach my high school took. Rather than doing formal presentations, the college reps would stand at booths in the mall area during lunch periods. Students were free to wander over and talk to them once they finished eating.</p>

<p>Many schools have admissions presentations at night in major cities…probably something to look for on admissions websites if you’re in an urban area. For example, here is Yale’s schedule:</p>

<p><a href=“Yale Undergraduate Admissions - Yale Events Near You”>Yale Undergraduate Admissions - Yale Events Near You;

5

<p>The college counselors often visit several high schools in one day. So they can’t really work around free blocks/lunch (and honestly probably would not get much before or after school traffic).</p>

<p>A couple of comments:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>My kids’ school is a private, independent, college prep K-12 school. It is a priority for kids to go to college. So I have never heard of a teacher not allowing a kid to leave for these sessions. HOWEVER, juniors are limited to missing only 3 class sessions to attend these (they can go to as many as they want during study halls, etc. in addition to the three). Seniors can go to as many as they want to. But they do need to keep up with all their classwork, so most don’t abuse this. I suppose a teacher might balk if they missed the same class a whole bunch of times. So far D has gone to 3 this year, all at different times (so she missed different classes). We consider these important to attend because often the rep is the one who reads her app, so it helps if they know who she is. She also always takes at least two intelligent questions in with her. Occasionally she is the only one (or just one of 2-3) kids in the session.</p></li>
<li><p>My D always tells her teachers a few days ahead when she plans to miss. It works better than springing it on the teacher the day of the session.</p></li>
</ul>

6

<p>At my son’s public high school, students go to the college and career center in advance to get a pass to any presentation that they are interested in. I have never heard of a teacher preventing a student from going to one. I would be pretty frustrated if my son were told he couldn’t attend. I’m sure there are exceptions, but the kids don’t seem to sign up just to get out of class. I know my son only attends those for which he is truly considering the school.</p>

7

<p>Very, very interesting so far. Thanks for the comments!</p>

8

<p>At my high school during the our lunch period the college representatives would set up a table where you could pick up brochures and talk to the admissions officer. There would normally be two different colleges each day and there would be announcements for which colleges would be there for that particular day. Not to mention in the fall and spring we had a college fair where over 100 of the top colleges came to visit for that particular night.</p>

9

<p>I don’t think my kids ever had trouble getting out of class to go to these events, but then it turned out that these were counted in the absence total, not as a school activity, so one of my kids went over the “allowed” absences that semester and we had to fight and tell them that they had never explained this properly…</p>

<p>so, for us it’s sort of a school-sponsored activity and sort of not.</p>

10

<p>In our two local high schools, kids who sign up in advance for rep visits, get a pass from the guidance office for that period. I’ve never heard of a teacher refusing (although if a test were scheduled, I could possibly see that as an exception.) Not sure why a teacher would say no - the student is still responsible for the material covered and for the work due that day when they are out for illness or any other excused absence. Why would this be different? Seems like a silly way to assert power when, a year from now, these students won’t have to tell anyone if and when they are in class.</p>

11

<p>Our school also had a limit on excused classes for this. D1 would complain that the usual sessions were more about giving info she felt repeated what was online or in other materials- ie, not so much about the personal contact. In one case, the GC suggested she just take 5 minutes to stop by, intro herself. That, at least, would let the rep know who she was, if she later made contact. Her teachers didn’t mind a few minutes late, when they knew it was for this.</p>

12

<p>At my school we sign up with whatever college we want to see in guidance, and on that day when the representative arrives the secretary calls up the students; if it is a lot of students she’ll make an announcement. Usually the reps are there a few hours so students also have the option of goig during free period. But If a students decides they want to go last minute I’ve never seen a teacher deny them going. And since they usually are during class no one is marked absent (if the teacher does attendance when they are supposed to ) this month alone I’ve talked to 5 college reps.</p>