Top 5 Reasons to Be Part of College Road Trip 2020
Right now, it’s February. The weather has been rather dreary, and we’ve had more grey days than sunshine so far. But in just a month, spring will be in the air, grass will be showing, plants will be blooming, and we’ll be on a cross-country road trip to check out some of the best schools in the Midwest. You may be wondering why a camp is checking out universities. It’s not to recruit staff. It’s not even to visit our staff and alumni who are there (although we do that and quite enjoy it along the way.) This program was created and is run to help Chicagoland’s Jewish teens learn about themselves, the many different college options available to them, and to allow them to do that together. In that spirit, we’ve come up with an indisputable 5 reasons YOU should be part of this year’s College Road Trip where we will visit Indiana University, Penn State University, Ohio State University, and the University of Michigan.
1. Official tours and information sessions at each institution.
Going to college is hard. It’s an adjustment for sure. Getting into college may be even harder. You need to have a good GPAs, do well on the ACTs and/or SATs, have a robust list of extra-curricular activities, and so much more. Plus, having taken some AP courses helps too. But you know what else schools look for? Visits to their campus! That’s right, they track and log comes for official tours and information sessions and those students are viewed in a more favorable light when it comes time for admissions decisions. At each of the schools we visit, we have everything scheduled so our participants can have one more box checked when applying to college.
2. Meeting Jewish Students Each Stop Along the Way
Not only do we schedule official tours and information sessions at each school, but we have setup time to meet and talk with Jewish students as well. At each stop, we will hear their stories, and learn about both their transitions from high school to college and how they have connected Jewishly on campus.
3. A Variety of Different Style Campuses
We are visiting at least 4 schools on our road trip this year in Penn State, University of Michigan, Indiana University and Ohio State. Each place is laid out different and has a unique feel to it, as does every college and university out there. The goal of this trip is not to end and have your dream school identified. Rather, we want to help each teen identify what they like at each place and that will help them identify schools that will be best for them.
4. Connecting with Other Local Jewish Teens
We say it all the time- camp friends are the best friends. But why? More often than not it is the shared unique experience of attending camp together. Unlike school, which most everyone can relate to, summer camp is a unique experience we can share. The College Road Trip is no different. Teens are traveling across the country together on a coach bus, staying in hotels, and visiting campuses NOT with their family, but with their peers. We do what we do best on these trips- building a community for each person.
5. Learning about Jewish Life on Campus
We’ll be busy at each of the stops we make on this trip. We already talked about official tours and information sessions and meeting with current students. But we keep going! At each university, we’ll meet with and learn about the plethora of opportunities students have to connect Jewishly on campus. From Hillels to Chabads and Jewish Greek Life on campus, so many opportunities exist for students to get connected and/or stay connected to their Jewish identity and build a community with one another.
Ready to sign up? Want to learn more? Click here!
College Road Trip is one of many exciting new Springboard school break programs. Dive into something new at SpringboardChicago.org. Springboard is a community initiative created with the support of JUF/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, the Jim Joseph Foundation and a consortium of local funders.