Entering university or college is a significant transition, and stress gears up for the change while students are still in high school during the daunting application process.
No one knows that better than current Grade 11 and 12 students in Richmond. But instead of fretting about it, a group on the Richmond Student District Council Organization pulled together a first-ever conference to get answers and enlighten younger students.
They invited older friends already in university to come back and answer current high schoolers’ questions, and organized workshops on the application process, entrance exams (for schools in the U.S.), how to finance your degree and how to survive once you begin college or university.
More than 100 Richmond high school students attended the event on Feb. 23, called Transitions, at Steveston-London Secondary School.
“(We) had students personally come up to us to tell us that they've learned something from the workshops,” said RSDCO chair Joey Huang.
“I had a female student walk up to me and tell me that through these workshops, she was able to find her mentor for her school capstone project.”
Another student expressed how happy she was to learn she was eligible for scholarships, Huang said.
RSDCO conferences chair Kerrie Ye, who’s already submitted her university applications, remembered how much pressure there during that time. She wanted to give younger kids a clear map to make their journey easier.
“Recently, there’s been so much stress going on for the younger grades,” said. “We really wanted to help them out.”
