Pali’s College Center hosts dozens of college representatives on campus each fall. These visits offer Pali students insight into campus life, admissions and the application process.
Pali’s Director of College Counseling Karen Ellis has organized college visits for the past 11 years, marking her long tenure at Pali.
“Since I’ve been here, [the college center] has grown a lot, especially the college fair and the number of [college] visits,” Ellis said, adding that 25 colleges visited Pali and saw how “involved, engaged, bright and intelligent [the students] were..”
Ellis explained that she strives to ensure the college center is an accessible resource to high school students.
“One of my first goals was to make sure that all students have access to the college center,” she said. “All students and parents [should] get the knowledge they need, so they can help themselves or their child go to college.”
In addition to college visits, Ellis facilitates online college workshops, where she goes into detail about the application process, financial aid and more, making information more readily available.
According to Ellis, colleges often reach out to her first, eager to share information regarding their school.
“I probably get 30 to 40 emails a day from colleges wanting to come and update us on their testing policy, new professors, new majors or new programs,” she said.
One of Pali’s most frequent visitors is Admissions Counselor Amy Mitchell, the first West Coast Regional representative for Emerson College. Mitchell estimated that she has visited Pali “at least 50” times in the last 11 years since she began her career at Emerson.
“I live out here, and I’m based out here, so I have more time to really cover the area,” she said.
Mitchell emphasized that her goal in visiting Pali is about connection, not promotion.
“It’s all about ‘fit’ on both ends,” Mitchell said. “We’re a unique place. We’re small, we’re creative, we’re quirky. We kind of need and attract a unique student body.”
Senior Justin Reinman visited the college center several times this semester, including attending sessions offered by the University of California San Diego (UCSD), Rice University and University of Wisconsin.
One representative Reinman met with was a student at UCSD themselves.
“It was really useful to get an inside opinion on what makes UCSD shine… and get a little glimpse into the admissions process,” Reinman said.
Although the representatives were helpful, Reinman, an applicant interested in pursuing recreational sports at his future college, said that it “would be nice to hear an athlete’s perspective on getting into college and what athletics are like there.”
Reflecting on his experience, Reinman said: “It was really helpful, it made me feel a lot better about my chances. [The representatives] were in our shoes at some point, so it was pretty comforting.”
Senior Lana Shargani attended New York University’s (NYU) visit to the college center.
“It was very insightful,” Shargani said. “[The representative] spoke about things people normally don’t find on the website, like dorms.”
When asked if there was anything she thinks would improve the experience, Shargani said that the communication and scheduling was the biggest conflict.
“As time went on [waiting for representatives], a lot of students lost hope,” she said. “They [would] leave and say, ‘I’m going to continue with my lunch.’”
Despite her frustration with the scheduling flaws, Shargani recommends going to the college center to learn more about different schools.
“It’s worth it to show your face and your interest,” she said. “It’s going to help my application because I feel like I know more about the school.”
For both Mitchell and Ellis, the highlight of these college visits is meeting and connecting with new people.
“I think I get to meet people on a different level than you would otherwise,” Mitchell said.
Ellis added, “It excites me. Just engaging with parents and students—it does something to me that I don’t even understand myself.”
