Four Corners Upper Schools showcases local colleges to high school students looking for a closer view of the campus world.

 The first trip took place on February 8th,2023 at the UCF (University of Central Florida) campus, where students were introduced to a tour around the buildings. The group was guided by two students attending the college who shared their own experiences while studying at UCF.

 “They [tour guides] did a lovely job giving the tour and they also were able to pepper in some of their own experiences which was nice because they have their finger on the pulse of what is really happening at university and could give some inside into actual student life,” college success teacher Jacquelyn Pileckas said.

This being the first campus visit organized by the guidance department led some such as Pileckas to see it as an opportunity for students to have a more immersive look into campus life.

“As far as I know it was the first time we have arranged a group college tour and it had less emphasis on the academic side but a chance for students to see what campus is like, what the facilities are like, and a glimpse into a little bit of what studying there might be like,” Pileckas said.

 Along with the school, some students such as junior Lauren Jorda had this be their first tour and later shared how it broadened her frame of reference as she finds herself in a smaller facility now.

 “That was actually my first college tour, so I was really amazed by not only meeting actual students who led the tour, but it was also a new environment for me especially because our school is smaller than most schools so seeing the huge campus that had so many amenities was just a whole new experience for me,” Jorda  said.

 With a chance to visualize what is ahead of her as a student, Jorda felt that this trip made her wonder about classes she might be able to take part in if she attends the university in the future.

 “We saw the engineering building and they also had a computer science department there, I want to do cyber security so maybe my future classes will be there, that is also where I saw many old artifacts from NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration.),” Jorda said.

 On the following trip, the students were headed to Valencia College for a quick tour around one of their campuses. Students took on Valencia, February 15, 2023, and had a chance to learn a little bit more about the connection between the two colleges.

 “Valencia isn’t one of my top schools but I wanted to explore my options, so I went, I knew there was a higher chance of getting into UCF if you went to Valencia but what I did not know was that you get a guaranteed into UCF if you have gone there, they have something like a partnership with UCF that help them with that,” Junior Francine Kern said.

 The connection between the two schools extends to a section of the campus dedicated to helping students plan for their future at UCF.

 “They [ Valencia’s guides] showed us this area where they have some UCF professors that stay to help with some guidance because a lot of people who go to Valencia want to transfer to UCF later on, so they had a whole like station for students to plan their career path and how they will get into UCF,”

 Few students attended both trips, including Kern who shared her thoughts and observations after visiting the two campuses.

“I went to both [UCF and Valencia], and I thought UCF was more energetic, I saw more people, there were students playing frisbee and volleyball everywhere and they really looked like they were having the times of their life,” Kern said.

 Together with the student spirit Kern also noted outstanding details found throughout the buildings.

“It was like a city in there they had a bank and hair salons, we didn’t get to go into that many buildings, but we did go into the engineering one, I was so shocked when I saw that they had rockets as their pillars, “Kern continued

While the tours will not determine where she will go to college, Kern affirmed that it made clear what environment she feels more comfortable in.

“After seeing the two campuses and how different they are I can say that I like UCF’s vibe better, Valencia is more individualistic it seemed like everyone had their own little thing, but UCF felt like a movie, there were people all around and they looked genuinely fun and that is exactly what I’m looking for in a college, I just did not know it before I went in the tours, “Kern said.