Paying it forward

On Sunday October 6th, we are offering a FREE presentation and discussion regarding college for area students and their families. This will certainly benefit high school kids, but it will be very helpful to 8th and 9th grade families. This will be a 90-minute event hosted by Reliable Pest Solutions and held in their training center at 9104 Highway W, Hannibal, MO 63401.

The purpose of this event is to discuss various opportunities available to students and families from Hannibal and communities in our area. In particular it will focus on the following:

Detailed information on selective colleges and universities beyond the same 7 nearby schools most kids attend, including the Ivy league, Stanford, University of Chicago, Duke, and others.
Explain the underrated inherent advantage of growing up in this area as it relates to college admissions.
Review what really matters to college admissions officers (academics, test scores, extracurricular activities, money, connections).

We'll discuss some of the myths/realities of college in 2024 and beyond, and answer questions such as:

For athletes, D3 is not as good as D2, right?
State schools are cheaper to attend than those snooty private schools, right?
Only athletes and brains get recruited, right?
ED has no downsides, right? (Actually, what is ED? it sounds, um, weird...)
Only rich kids go to expensive schools, right?
According to what I’m hearing, college isn’t really worth the cost, right?
No one in my family has graduated from college, and I don't have a lot of money, so my only option is a state school, right?
Liberal Arts Colleges are a waste of time and money, right?

Background, Experience and Purpose

As a parent/board member at an independent college prep school, I had extensive firsthand experience with the college identification, evaluation, application and admission process. I have had many meetings with Deans of Admissions and their staff from dozens of the top colleges and universities in the country. For our family, we created a list of 90+ schools that we evaluated, and we actually visited and toured 25 colleges and universities across the United States.

Having just completed the college journey, we can share many details, surprises, adventures and lessons from our college odyssey, e.g. how to evaluate a school, effective visit strategies; managing your own list of candidates and their respective requirements; athletic recruiting; the admissions process; expenses (the usual and the unforeseen); travel to/from for students and families; social, academic and athletic life for students and families; study abroad; post college career opportunities; and so much more.

As a Hannibal native and proud graduate and supporter of Hannibal High School, my objective is to pay it forward to local students and families whose college journey lies ahead.

If you are interested in learning more, simply register below. Note: As this is a Free event and capacity is limited, please be considerate of others and only register if you plan to attend.

Thanks,

Devon

RSVP is required for admission. Please register below and we'll see you there.