South County students, parents visit Stanford University

college bound:
Sixty-four South County students and parents had the opportunity to visit one of the most prestigous campuses in the United States on Saturday, March 7.

Sixty-four South County students and parents spent Saturday, March 7, getting acquainted with Stanford University as part of GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program) at Anderson Union and West Valley high schools.

GEAR UP provided transportation and funding for the event billed as a "Take Your Parent to College Day!" The trip's purpose was to help parents and high school students perceive college as both a goal and a reality.

While on the Stanford University campus in Palo Alto, the group ate a delicious brunch in one of the student dining facilites surrounded by many Stanford students.

GEAR UP also provided tickets to three athletic events on campus that day. The students and their chaperones were able to choose between a baseball game featuring Stanford against the second-ranked University of Texas squad or a basketball game featuring the fifth-ranked Stanford Cardinal Women's Basketball Team versus Arizona State. In addition, there was also a softball game versus Vermont.

After the games, students and parents/guardians toured the large campus in small groups. Each group was given a map and allowed to tour the campus at its own pace and see things of interest to that group.

GEAR UP is a federally funded grant program that encourages young students and parents to start thinking and planning for post-secondary education. This trip to Stanford was significant, organizers said, because families had the opportunity to visit one of the most prestigious campuses in the United States.

If students can step foot on the Stanford University campus, they soon realize that college students attending Stanford are really no different than themselves. They see others attending an elite university like Stanford and succeeding.

Sometimes parents have the same misconceptions regarding college as their offspring. So anytime GEAR UP is able to include parents on these trips, it is just a double bonus.