Video: Colleges Help Local Students Choose Their Future

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West Point, Miss. (WCBI) — In today’s world, higher education could mean the difference between success and failure.

And many colleges from all over Mississippi visited West Point High School Thursday to give juniors and seniors a chance to weigh their future options.

Time is running out for many West Point upperclassmen to make the big decision of where they’ll be going college.

And the factors that help make that decision are different for everyone.

“I look for especially if they have my major, and the cost of tuition, and if its very…family oriented”, said senior Tori Boateer.

“I’m really just looking for a home feel you know like something that feels like comfortable to me”, said senior Jahimon Lyons.

Some students said that they would prefer go the community college route to ease their path to a larger university.

“I feel like Im not mentally prepared to go to a university first, so I’m going to choose a community college”, said Nicketia Cannon.

“I would prefer going to a community college because I would know more when I get in the university, more than not knowing anything and getting left behind”, said junior Chasity Roburtson.

Many of the students told WCBI that they plan to go the route of spending two years at a community college to eventually make their way to a larger university.

“We have the 3 R’s , recruit, retain, and redirect…”, said E.M.C.C. recruiting coordinator Michael Black, “…if the student wants to come to E.M.C.C. and go to work, they can do that or they can come to E.M.C.C. and go to the university so they’re a lot of exit points from E.M.C.C.”

Hal Sullivan, an admissions counselor at Ole Miss, mentioned that, even though the colleges are recruiting the students, thei main goal remains the same.

“We want to make sure all students know that they can go to college…”, said Sullivan, “…and so whether they go to Mississippi State or they go to Ole Miss or they go to the W or EMCC or wherever, we want to make sure that they know that they can go and that they can get an excellent education”.

E.M.C.C. also presents the option for high school grads in their area to attend the school tuition free and will give students the opportunity to pursue the larger universities.