Held on Tuesday, April 30, during both A and B lunches, the Jesuit Excellence Tour gave students the chance to speak with representatives from 14 different Jesuit schools from across the country, including College of the Holy Cross, Loyola University Chicago, Seattle University, and more.
Held on Tuesday, April 30, during both A and B lunches, the Jesuit Excellence Tour gave students the chance to speak with representatives from 14 different Jesuit schools from across the country, including College of the Holy Cross, Loyola University Chicago, Seattle University, and more.
Held on Tuesday, April 30, during both A and B lunches, the Jesuit Excellence Tour gave students the chance to speak with representatives from 14 different Jesuit schools from across the country, including College of the Holy Cross, Loyola University Chicago, Seattle University, and more.
Held on Tuesday, April 30, during both A and B lunches, the Jesuit Excellence Tour gave students the chance to speak with representatives from 14 different Jesuit schools from across the country, including College of the Holy Cross, Loyola University Chicago, Seattle University, and more.
Held on Tuesday, April 30, during both A and B lunches, the Jesuit Excellence Tour gave students the chance to speak with representatives from 14 different Jesuit schools from across the country, including College of the Holy Cross, Loyola University Chicago, Seattle University, and more.
Held on Tuesday, April 30, during both A and B lunches, the Jesuit Excellence Tour gave students the chance to speak with representatives from 14 different Jesuit schools from across the country, including College of the Holy Cross, Loyola University Chicago, Seattle University, and more.
Held on Tuesday, April 30, during both A and B lunches, the Jesuit Excellence Tour gave students the chance to speak with representatives from 14 different Jesuit schools from across the country, including College of the Holy Cross, Loyola University Chicago, Seattle University, and more.
Held on Tuesday, April 30, during both A and B lunches, the Jesuit Excellence Tour gave students the chance to speak with representatives from 14 different Jesuit schools from across the country, including College of the Holy Cross, Loyola University Chicago, Seattle University, and more.
Held on Tuesday, April 30, during both A and B lunches, the Jesuit Excellence Tour gave students the chance to speak with representatives from 14 different Jesuit schools from across the country, including College of the Holy Cross, Loyola University Chicago, Seattle University, and more.
Held on Tuesday, April 30, during both A and B lunches, the Jesuit Excellence Tour gave students the chance to speak with representatives from 14 different Jesuit schools from across the country, including College of the Holy Cross, Loyola University Chicago, Seattle University, and more.
Held on Tuesday, April 30, during both A and B lunches, the Jesuit Excellence Tour gave students the chance to speak with representatives from 14 different Jesuit schools from across the country, including College of the Holy Cross, Loyola University Chicago, Seattle University, and more.
Held on Tuesday, April 30, during both A and B lunches, the Jesuit Excellence Tour gave students the chance to speak with representatives from 14 different Jesuit schools from across the country, including College of the Holy Cross, Loyola University Chicago, Seattle University, and more.
Held on Tuesday, April 30, during both A and B lunches, the Jesuit Excellence Tour gave students the chance to speak with representatives from 14 different Jesuit schools from across the country, including College of the Holy Cross, Loyola University Chicago, Seattle University, and more.
Held on Tuesday, April 30, during both A and B lunches, the Jesuit Excellence Tour gave students the chance to speak with representatives from 14 different Jesuit schools from across the country, including College of the Holy Cross, Loyola University Chicago, Seattle University, and more.
Held on Tuesday, April 30, during both A and B lunches, the Jesuit Excellence Tour gave students the chance to speak with representatives from 14 different Jesuit schools from across the country, including College of the Holy Cross, Loyola University Chicago, Seattle University, and more.
On Tuesday, April 30, the Jesuit Excellence Tour (JET) visited La Salle.
With admissions representatives from schools ranging from Gonzaga University, Saint Louis University, Santa Clara University, and the University of San Francisco, a total of fourteen schools were at the fair, which took place during A and B lunches as part of a trip on the West Coast.
One of College Counselor Ms. Jennifer Brigham’s biggest goals for students for the event was to demystify the college application experience. According to her, that starts with talking to people.
“Even if you’re not interested in a particular school, it’s sometimes a great practice just to have a conversation because you can start to learn about the questions you want to ask,” Ms. Brigham said.
While the college application process is both lengthy and complex, “it can be broken down into smaller steps that are achievable,” she said. Ms. Brigham explained that simply speaking with representatives and understanding what different schools look like can go a long way towards assuring students that getting into college is a feasible next step.
Not only did the fair present an opportunity for students to do this, but the Jesuit schools that were showcased are a great fit for many La Salle students, according to Ms. Brigham.
As Ms. Brigham studied at one of the Jesuit schools represented on the JET, Saint Louis University, she brought up her own experiences when discussing the benefits of attending Jesuit colleges or universities. Brigham was able to study abroad in Madrid, Spain for a year, and said that her “impactful” experience at St. Louis means that she always has a soft place in her heart for Jesuit schools.
On top of that, La Salle students are often able to understand the academic rigor presented at Jesuit schools, their core courses, and how to get involved in service because of the similarities that exist between La Salle and Jesuit schools.
“When students get to a Jesuit campus, it feels very familiar,” Ms Brigham said. “[Their] philosophy jells really well with the Lasallian philosophy.”
There’s appeal in the familiar, but for students such as sophomore Ashley Kamhoot, who went to the college fair during B lunch, the experience greatly widened her perspective on prospective schools. She went into the event looking for schools that might not be on her radar, focusing especially on those with strong Biology and STEM programs.
Her takeaway was simple: be open minded.
“I sometimes forget the schools I can name off the top of my head aren’t all the schools in the United States,” Kamhoot said. “There’s so many colleges out there.”
This sentiment — that just seeking out different options goes a long way towards broadening students’ point of view — was echoed by fellow sophomore Larissa Bonn, who also visited the fair. Although Bonn is interested in larger schools, she found that learning about what she’s personally not looking for is just as beneficial, as many of the colleges at the fair were on the smaller side.
“I’m really glad I went,” Bonn said. “I feel like it’s good to see even what you don’t want, because then you know.”
College fairs such as this one will be held in the future, according to Ms. Brigham. Both Bonn and Kamhoot offered that it would be neat to see a wider variety of locations represented, but emphasized that the experience of seeing the JET itself was incredibly helpful.
“It’s never too early to start looking,” Bonn said. “You always take away something.”
