This past Thursday, the Mercy High School juniors visited Creighton University to get a feel for and understanding of the college and application process. During their trip, the girls learned about their Gallup strengths and how they can be applied to deciding on what career to choose. Then, the students went on a tour of the campus. Later, they sat down and listened to how the application process goes and what to expect, as well as useful tips on what to write in application essays. The girls ended their trip by asking questions to current college students to fully understand what to do when applying to college.
The junior class attended without fully knowing what to expect on this field trip but were greatly surprised when they got to learn so much about a process they will encounter not too far in their future. They learned how to go about applying to college and what is going to happen at any campus tour. The team at Creighton did a great job at explaining exactly what goes on within the minds of the people accepting applications and how to be accepted into most schools. They explained many terms that come up such as test-optional and gap years, also called deferred admissions. These explanations were helpful to understand what exactly the student’s options are for their future.
While on the campus tour, the students got to ask questions of current students and explore the campus. They got to see where classes happen and what students do during their free time. The tour guides showed the Mercy girls the dining halls, dorms, and each specific major’s location. The interactions with the tour guides and the students, as well as the students on campus, showed what kind of an environment Creighton has.
After lunch, the girls discovered how to use Gallup strengths to choose a career. Caitlin Feldmann and Seth Kleinwort were helpful in this process. They explained what each section of strengths were good at and that even if a section isn’t in your top five, it’s still a strength you have. They also went over how sometimes you need to replace words to find how strengths apply to you. An example given was if a career finder search with your strengths gives you agriculture, but that’s not what you’re interested in, exchange the job with others that have the same attributes. Then that just might fit you and your interests. They shared how even if you have the same strengths as someone else, you may use them in different ways for the same goals.
Overall, the visit to the campus was a success and helped many of the girls gain clarity on what to expect in college and in applying. The goal of the visit was to be the first visit to a college and reduce the stress for future visits. As the application process to college goes on for these Mercy girls, hopefully they can be successful in their searches and find exactly what they want in their college even if it isn’t Creighton.
