Early research shows that visiting colleges and spending time on college campuses slightly improves students’ chances of learning more about college, as well as increasing the rate at which those students take advanced courses in early high school. A study done by researchers in Arkansas looked at a large group of eighth graders and whether visiting a college campus would influence their interest in higher education. While the study is very preliminary and many answers were not definitive, it seems that spending time on college campuses can have a positive impact on young students.
For Breakthrough students, college trips only further their determination to get their degree. Most Breakthrough sites give their middle and high school students the opportunity to tour local college campuses, and some visit out of state colleges and universities. Breakthrough Silicon Valley Executive Director John Hiester said that “the students’ excitement…was palpable,” for their recent multi-college tour, and that the “trip was a major milestone and their best opportunity to experience several colleges” before they choose which schools to apply to.
We’re looking forward to seeing how this study develops!
Read more about the study in this article by Matt Barnum for Chalkbeat.
March 2019
Image courtesy of Chalkbeat
