Students Check Out Options for College

More than 1,000 parents and students crowded into the Newbury Park High School gym this week, looking for information about one of the most important decisions of the youngsters’ academic lives--choosing a college.

People gathered stacks of information from more than 50 colleges nationwide, and asked questions about grade and test score requirements, tuition and financial aid.

More than a dozen workshops were also offered on such topics as selecting an Ivy League college, financial planning, community colleges, sports and military scholarships.

Comparing opportunities is exactly what Thousand Oaks resident Tim Reese, 42, and his 15-year-old daughter, Monica, wanted. While Monica is only a sophomore at Thousand Oaks High School, she’s already researching colleges where she could study to become a veterinarian.

Monica said she was excited at the prospect of going to college, while Reese was curious about tuition, financial aid and scholarships.

“They kind of have it in their minds to go to a university,” Reese said.

Brent Davis, a representative for Ohio Wesleyan, found people asking him the same questions about grades, test scores, tuition and financial aid.

“I start by asking if they are interested in going out of state,” Davis said, adding that students should consider all their options when selecting a school.

Chuck Eklund, director of secondary activities for the Conejo Valley Unified School District, said College Information Night serves a real need.

“Some of them are walking around with two or three brochures; some have a whole handful,” he said. “But I am willing to bet one of the ones they’re holding is from the college they are going to end up going to. It [college night] is really about starting to realize that after high school, college is a real opportunity.”