Stagg HS takes 34 students on college visit to UIC

Stagg High School Counselors Beth Gulden and Matt O'Neil took a group of 34 juniors and seniors to University of Illinois at Chicago for a college visit. The students got some great hands-on experiences in several science departments at the UIC.

Hosted by UIC's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the visit focused on showcasing the various research opportunities students can get involved in at a school like UIC. This trip was designed to help students begin to understand the variety of subject areas they could study in college as well as how their interests in one field could lead them to another.

Students began the day with a presentation that helped students understand all of the academic disciplines involved in the general field of liberal arts and sciences. They then moved into an overview of UIC's academic opportunities, as well as their unique and wide variety of offerings for students interested in the health sciences. Students also heard from three current UIC undergrads, who covered a wide array of topics from explaining their own majors to addressing their biggest challenges in transitioning from high school to college.

After the opening presentation, students rotated through several labs and departments with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Students were able to hear from faculty, researchers and current students in UIC's biology, physics, anthropology and environmental sciences departments. These presentations really opened students' eyes to some subjects that they may have had less familiarity with as well as introduced them to several of the types of courses they will likely take as general education requirements. In one of UIC's biological research labs, for example, students learned about how researchers work with animals to learn how their bodies adapt to environmental change.

In all, the visit showed students the many ways they could explore their interests throughout college, both in and out of the classroom.