Juniors and seniors from Hays and the surrounding areas were invited to attend the annual College and Career Planning Conference from 1:40-2:50 p.m. Oct. 4. This event has been hosted for several years and has expanded in the quantity of schools that send representatives.

Students were encouraged to visit with representatives from more than 50 colleges and institutions as well as military representatives during this conference.

“CCPC is an opportunity for juniors and seniors to hear presentations from FHSU, KSU and KU,” counselor Suellyn Stenger said. “Students can also visit with representatives from many other colleges and the military.”

Among the many colleges that convened in the cafeteria were Baker University, the University of Nebraska Kearny, Friends University, and Wichita State University.

Although the seminars were not lacking in information provided, juniors and seniors alike seemed to feel as though the conference was not a worthy time investment.

“Having done this last year, it seemed like it wasn’t as purposeful to me,” senior Jacob Alexander said. “But the representatives always have something good to say, so others may have picked something useful up.”

Seniors who have already decided upon a college felt as though the conference was too late for them.

“Since I got accepted to KSU already and know where I’m going, I thought it was pointless,” senior Justin McCullick said. “The KSU station told me the same things I heard at the junior day.”

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Although the conference may not have been as eye-opening as intended, junior Lauren Gardner felt as though she gathered a considerable amount of information from the schools she visited with.

“I liked going to the different school representatives in the cafeteria especially,” Gardner said. “It made me think about all the choices. For example, I’d never really realized how many cosmetology schools there were in Kansas.”

With colleges reaching out to students through social media and other web outlets now more than ever, much of the information provided by the speakers could also be easily obtained online. For this reason, some students deemed the seminars unnecessary.

“Most of the stuff that was said to me I already knew or could’ve just found online,” junior Abby Balman said. “It was a good experience but I just feel like it wasn’t worth it.”

18lgregory@usd489.com