MCC hosts district-wide College and Career Fair for high school seniors
Local high school seniors get one campus visit day, and Meridian Community College gave local students a way to see far more than one campus at the District Wide College and Career Fair.
The fair, held in MCC’s Graham Gymnasium on the MCC campus, brought together some 400 students from area high schools, along with admissions representatives from universities and community colleges across the state. Students moved from table to table, meeting recruiters, asking questions, and comparing options in a single stop.
Jammie Milner, MCC assistant director of recruiting, said the event solves a problem many seniors face.
"You only get one skip day as a senior. You only get one day to go visit a campus," Milner said. "So, this gives them an opportunity to visit multiple universities. And the one that they really love, they can use for their campus skip day."
Milner said students from seven area schools attended, and many of them rarely get the chance to see so many colleges in one place. Hosting the fair also brings students onto the MCC campus, where they can learn what the College offers.
"Not only can you find your wings at MCC, but you can also transfer as a university transfer with our partnership universities and colleges that are here," Milner said. "That's our biggest opportunity."
Milner added that the event strengthens MCC's relationships with its university partners by bringing their recruiters to campus.
For students, the day brought clarity. Cameron Willis, a student at Meridian High School who is also a member of the Meridian Collegiate Academy, said talking with admissions counselors gave him a look at how colleges evaluate applicants.
"I was able to talk with other admissions counselors, even if they weren't from a university I want to go to," Willis said. "I got to see what they were looking for."
Summer Grice, a student at Pentecostal Christian Academy, said the fair changed how she thinks about choosing a path.
"I learned that I have options, and I learned that I can pick a major that allows me to have more options," Grice said. "I didn't realize I was boxing myself in to one area."
Susan Margaret Barrett, admissions counselor with the Office of Admissions at the University of Mississippi, said the fair gives her office a way to reach students across the district. Barrett said the university recruits first year students and also meets with prospective transfer students, since transfer scholarships are available.
"We wanted to reach all the students," Barrett said.
For more information about MCC, visit meridiancc.edu.