South Portland High School

The history of collegevisits at SPHS… SPHS received its first MELMAC grant in 2003 and

implemented the college visit program in 2005.

Program focus was to give all 10th grade students an experience on a college campus and increase awareness about post-secondary options.

The first year included visits to three colleges in one day, including both 2-year community/technical colleges and 4-year colleges and universities.

…35 buses, 1,540 students, over 8,000 miles. Each April, 220 sophomores and 35 chaperones board five Custom Coach buses and travel an average of 230 miles to visit ten different colleges. It is an activity that is celebrated at South Portland and has become part of the culture for both students and staff.

Challenges to implementing a college visit program

Educating parents and students about the purpose/value of the visits Students do not select

which trip they will attend All students are expected

to participate

Connecting the college visit experience to the high school curriculum Advisors/teachers serve as

trip chaperones Career and College

Explorations course

Creating faculty/staff buy-in Use of advisory program

and team structures to support communication with both students and staff

Developing a manageable timeline that does not exhaust students or chaperones Change from 3 visits per

day to 2 visits

Benefits realized after 7 years

Students who have never thought of themselves as future college students are exposed firsthand to a

campus full of students who look just like them—only a little bit older….some begin to consider the

possibility.

Students who have always viewed themselves as future college students begin to think about the

process more concretely.

Students give more thought to the courses they select for their junior year and the impact of those

choices on their college goals.

Students are more knowledgeable about the college application and admission process and

more prepared to continue exploring on their own.

Benefits to the colleges who agree to host our students

When a student has a good experience at a campus they talk about it to others and create a positive image in the community about that college .

Many students have chosen to apply to one of the colleges they visited as a 10th grade student.

Students are more knowledgeable as juniors and seniors when they visit additional campuses with a parent or on their own.

Getting an early start Determine how many trips

to schedule

Select colleges to visit

Develop tentative schedule/itinerary

Contact group tour representative at Admissions/Visitor Center

Reserve buses and send deposit

Lunch…always a highlight of the trip! Make arrangements for lunch on one of the campuses.

The experience of eating in the campus dining hall is always a favorite part of the trip for students and gives everyone a chance to reenergize before heading out on the next tour.

Spring “To Do” List Assign students to a trip and review with

administration for any potential conflicts

Recruit chaperones through 10th grade teams and homebase advisory groups

Send memo to homebase advisors and faculty members to communicate important dates

Mail informational letter and permission slip to parents

Follow-up with colleges to confirm appointments and schedule timeline

Communicating with faculty and students

Meet with faculty to discuss upcoming trips

Schedule sophomore class meeting to discuss “Rules of the Road” and events of the day – junior guest speakers

Distribute survey and trip information in homebase