Middle school kids prepare for college early

Online Poster

Online Poster

By Naomi Miyake

Instead of bumming on the couch, watching TV or playing video games after school, some Urbana Middle School students are preparing for college.

The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) at the University, honors organization with 205 college chapters across the country, organized a program, Planning for College Success (PFCS), to help middle school students get ready for their college experience. PFCS, which had its first of four sessions of this semester in October, is being implemented at various middle schools in the United States.

The members mentor middle school students to help them with deciding what they might want to major in, what dorm life is like, study skills and issues with moving away from home.

The NSCS president, Anna Dadiomov, hopes the program will make college appealing to students.

“The goal is (to) get students to desire to go to college, no matter what obstacles they may face,” Dadiomov said. “Also (to get kids) to develop interest in college way beforehand and, in turn, try to do well in high school.”

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The sessions include games, one-on-one mentoring sessions and snacks to make the program fun as well as educational.

Last Friday’s activity involved a guessing game where kids drew a picture of what they want to be when they grow up while other students try to guess.

Carson Lewis, 13, said the game was his favorite part of the day.

“I drew handcuffs because I want to be a cop,” he said.

Arielle Bennett, 12, said the best part was talking to the mentors.

“You can tell them what you want to do when you grow up, and it’s just fun,” Bennett said.

Dadiomov said in the very beginning, it’s a challenge to get the kids to talk.

“At first they are shy, but then they open up once they can feel that the mentor really is interested in them and their lives,” she said.

Lewis expressed his interest in math and science to Robert Griegoliet, sophomore in NSCS, during their session.

“I talked to him about how math and science filters into engineering, but if he has a lot of other interests, he should consider them all and not just pinpoint down to one thing right away,” Griegoliet said.

Aside from academics, mentors and students talk about the social aspects of college like making new friends, living in the dorms and getting involved in student organizations on campus.

“It’s kind of like big brother meets school counselor,” said Griegoliet. “It’s preparing them on a social and academic level, which gives them a spectrum of college life.”

Not only does the program benefit students, but it is gratifying for the mentors as well.

“It’s rewarding to see how these kids really appreciate someone that is there to answer their questions which may not ordinarily be discussed in their own home,” Dadiomov said.

Griegoliet also enjoys connecting with the students.

“I like seeing kids that are kind of in the same place I was,” he said. “They have a lot of interest like I had when I was their age, so it’s interesting to see where I was at their point in time.”

Though the main focus is on college-related issues, mentors and students enjoy talking about their favorite TV shows, sharing stories and laughing over pop and cookies.

Future plans include taking the students to various places on the University campus such as the Illini Union, various lecture halls, the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, the ice arena and the Union bowling alley.

Dadiomov hopes the program is successful.

“I want to have the satisfaction that I was able to prepare these kids in some way for what is to come in the future and spark interest in them to continue their education,” Dadiomov said.