East Williston School District student Morgan Misk, who also attends Nassau BOCES Long Island High School for the Arts (LIHSA), impressed representatives from 26 colleges and universities across the country recently. Misk networked with the reps at this year’s LIHSA College Fair, making a profoundly positive first impression and establishing a foundation for admission.
“After the event, a number of college reps called and emailed saying how blown away they were by our students’ talent and professionalism,” said LIHSA Guidance Counselor Melissa Stencel. “They were equally impressed by how well prepared the students were.”
Among the colleges represented were Boston University, Penn State, New York University, Wagner College, Montclair State University, James Madison, Hofstra University, PACE, the Fashion Institute of Technology and several SUNY schools.
At LIHSA, college prep is serious business and students put a lot of work into it. They are guided through the process step-by-step by their program directors, guidance counselors and teachers, who help them with everything from college applications and essays, to portfolio reviews and pre-screening of performance recordings. Once all the applications have been submitted, the process of individualized scholarship searches begins.
“Hosting the annual college fair provides our students with an opportunity to acquaint them-selves with the programs of more than 25 colleges, universities and conservatories,” said Jack Lenson, interim principal of LIHSA. “This helps students to evaluate their options and make in-formed decisions about college applications. The fair also gives college representatives an opportunity to see our students perform and to affirm that our students would make substantial contri-butions to their programs.”
