Top universities have been coming from around the world to visit GAA’s students and tell them about their institutions. The goal of the visits is to give students ideas about where they want to go to university and provide more information about universities they might be interested in. I spoke briefly with Maya Gonzalez, a GAA student in regular attendance of the visits, and she said “I think they really provide an interaction that you can’t find by reading about the school online, it’s a great opportunity for students.

I first witnessed the visits two years ago, in grade 10. I had no idea where I wanted to go to university, but it was very nice to speak to people that knew a lot about the school and what it has to offer. Now that I have better ideas of where I want to go, I have been more selective with my attendance, and have gotten valuable information about universities that interest me. 

After the visit, I found time to have one-on-one conversations with alumni from particular schools. This provided a more personal explanation about the school and really helped me determine if I would be a good fit. Overall, I was able to narrow down my choices, because you can’t just apply everywhere, even if you may want to.

Applying to universities can be a very stressful time for students in high school. Carolyn Burt spoke on the situation, and said “It’s very overwhelming, but the visits definitely helped me build confidence in where I did and didn’t want to do. I also liked skipping class.” Carolyn is certainly correct, your entire high school career is coming to an end, and it’s time to decide what to do next. That’s a lot of responsibility!

Attending university visits might give you some choices and add some confidence to your school decision. Give it a try GAA, and you’d be surprised what resources are available.