Students may not know where their college path will eventually take them, but they do know that most colleges have bookstores, student union buildings, athletic fields, undergraduate and graduate libraries, state-of-the art science equipment, health centers, academic advisors, many programs of study, residence halls and performing arts centers.

At Big Picture, each year the middle school college experience, through the College & Career Unit, builds campus awareness systematically from a small commuter-based college, to a mid-size private university to a very large public university. This year, 6th graders walked to Bellevue College for an orientation, science demonstrations and a campus tour. 7th graders bused to Seattle Pacific University for a campus scavenger hunt and an overview session with an admissions counselor and three current SPU students. 8th graders traveled to the UW and listened to a welcome presentation by an academic counselor from the Human Centered Design & Engineering School and three UW engineering students, explored campus through a scavenger hunt created by our own Gail Hapeman (alumni), and had lunch at the HUB.

They may not know where they will eventually go to college, but they do know what to look for and won’t be surprised when they get there!