College Visit Programs
College visits for middle and high school students can make a life-long difference. These resources provide planning tips and documents to help design and implement an intentional, informative, inspirational, and interactive campus visit.
As a GEAR UP Coordinator, one of your main responsibilities is facilitating a variety of college visit experiences for students and their families who may not otherwise have the opportunity. These GEAR UP college visits serve to help students and their families see college in their future as they "Dream It. Plan It. Do It."
To support you, the Appalachian GEAR UP Partnership developed this Coordinator's Guide to Successful GEAR UP College Visits for Middle and High School Students and Families that is geared generally toward 4 year colleges and universities, but with adaptations to community college settings as well. Our goal is that this guide will help GEAR UP Coordinators:
- Think outside the box to make the visit intentional, informative, inspirational, and interactive
- Connect students' and families' needs and interests with college information and mentors
- Take ownership of the college visit planning process
- Use operational tools for planning and implementing a successful college visit
Mountaineer Expeditions is a campus visit program offered to our grant cohort to expose middle and high school students to college and campus life. Activities often include academic sessions with campus faculty and staff, interaction with current college students, tours of campus highlights, student resources, and other enrichment sessions to help students envision the possibility of college and other postsecondary pathways in their future.