A graphic that was sent out to students at Clarke Central High School on Sept. 1 by Family Engagement Specialist Christian Barner provides information about College Night. Along with the opportunity to talk with representatives from the University of Georgia, Athens Technical College, the University of North Georgia and the Georgia Student Finance Commission, College Night provided information about how to plan for college and financial aid. “We all know about the massive student loan debt that’s happening. Parents are even getting a debt trying to help their children fulfill this dream,” Georgia Student Finance Commission K-12 Outreach representative Brenda Vaughn said. “Utilizing the financial aid could help through all of that process and to help students not go into debt.” Graphic courtesy of Christian Barner
On Sept. 6, seniors and their families were invited to College Night in E.B. Mell Auditorium to receive information meant to make the college admissions process easier.
In an event targeted to seniors interested in gaining a secondary education and their parents, experts came to Clarke Central High School to provide information about planning for college and financial aid in E.B. Mell Auditorium on Sept. 6.
Georgia Student Finance Commission K-12 Outreach representative Brenda Vaughn spoke at College Night, focusing on informing students about opportunities for financial aid.
“I think that when students are selecting a college a lot of people talk about the academics, which is very important, the size of the school, which is very important,” Vaughn said. “All of those things (are important), but many people don’t talk about the finances of it.”
According to Vaughn there are actions one can take to limit the amount of student debt they accumulate in college.
“No matter what path they take, every student who’s going to go to college can get money from the Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally (HOPE) program, whether it’s the scholarship side or the grant side,” Vaughn said. “I’ve seen the back end of debt and the struggle that people are going through, trying to pay the debt (because) they used all their money while in school.”
A map marks the colleges that sent representatives to College Night. UGA admissions officer Cindy Ganas attended the event to answer Clarke Central High School students’ questions about the college admissions process. “There are a lot of myths that get out there about applying to college,” Ganas. “Our job is really to help it to be clear and understandable so that (students and parents) know exactly how the process works.” Graphic by Riley Ramsey
Senior Beatriz Farias attended the event to learn about her options after high school.
“I kind of got an idea about grants (and) about the difference of grants and scholarships. I can apply for a grant and then apply for a scholarship,” Farias said. “I saw that I have more options than I thought I’d had.”
To parent Jessica Schmitz, the event was beneficial because it gave her a better idea of how to prepare for her student, currently a senior, to graduate and continue on to college.
“There’s a lot more to it now than when I applied many years ago, so it’s just a lot more work needing to be done,” Schmitz said, “(I learned) how expensive it was. It’s been a while (since I applied) so just seeing the different deadlines, that helped out.”
Representatives from the University of Georgia, Athens Technical College and the University of North Georgia were also present to answer any questions the attendees had.
“There are a lot of myths that get out there about applying to college,” UGA admissions officer Cindy Ganas said. “Our job is really to help it to be clear and understandable so that (students and parents) know exactly how the process works.”
