For collegiate good fit, try before you buy

 Making that all-important decision about which college to attend is tough for high school seniors.

  But one local administrator is making sure students have some first-hand experiences to help them out.

  Eileen Knight, Northern Arizona University-Yuma campus associate director of admissions, toured NAU-Flagstaff earlier this month with dozens of Yuma high school seniors and five guidance counselors to get a feel for collegiate culture.

  Some of the students were already accepted to a college, but now they must decide which one is a suitable, personal fit, Knight explained.

  "Students go out of their way to buy a pair of designer jeans but college is much more expensive than a pair of jeans, so they ought to go out of the way to try on a college to see if it's a good fit," Knight said. 

  There were 44 students from Yuma, Kofa, Cibola, San Luis and Yuma Catholic high schools who toured NAU-Flagstaff to learn about programs, financial aid, the multicultural center and other aspects of campus life. Since some students had already visited the University of Arizona and Arizona State University, they could now make comparisons, Knight said.

  "One of the important messages from the NAU staff and faculty was they want the students to succeed. It's not just a business to them, but they have a vested interest in the students' success."

  Another integral part of the tour was NAU alumna and now graduate student Kesia Ceniceros, who met with the seniors. They could identify with Ceniceros, a former Cibola student, who had a good understanding of the prospects local students have for college and the process she went through to enroll at NAU, Knight said.

  "When you see somebody in front of you like Kesia who has succeeded, that shows real value in that she made the right choice about attending NAU," Knight said. "She's a role model for Yuma students which is just so powerful."

  Ceniceros was representing NAU Student Support Services, which provides academic, personal, developmental and career guidance to students, critical- to low-income or first-generation college-bound students, she said. NAU wants seniors to know the school has the resources to help with academic options so they make a thoughtful career choice, she added.

  "I tried to get across that having a bachelor's degree is as important as a high school diploma was a generation ago," Ceniceros said. "By having a degree it is important to return to your home and use it to improve your community in some way. Leaving Yuma gave me an appreciation from where I'm from and I'd like to return there with that in mind."

  Miguel Contreras, San Luis High School guidance counselor, said it is important all seniors visit a campus before they attend classes to familiarize themselves with not only programs, but the weather and each community's idiosyncracies as well.

  "We don't like students to apply when they never visit the campus, because its a blind application and they truly don't know what they're committing themselves to."

  Adriana Gonzalez, 17, a  San Luis senior who wants to be an anesthesiologist, plans to enter NAU-Yuma in the fall and then transfer to Flagstaff.

  Adriana said while at NAU representatives emphasized the need to not solely focus on their major, but acquire general education background to become a well-rounded student.

  "Flagstaff didn't feel like a big city, it felt more like home," Adriana said. "An application alone can't help you decide on a college. Visiting the campus gave me an assurance of where I want to go. I could see myself walking through the campus and going to the recreation or dining hall. The people were welcoming there."