'Palatine U.' trains students for admissions experience
The "University of Palatine" college admissions program was started at Palatine High School in 2007 by Social Studies Teacher Asa Gordon.
As a former admissions recruiter for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Mr. Gordon works with a group of senior students, assisting them as they prepare their college admission paperwork, visit college campuses and search for scholarships.
On Sept. 10, the UP made its annual campus visit to the University of Illinois-Chicago. Serving as a "model visit," this experience demonstrates to students what to do on a campus to maximize their trip, going beyond the simple admissions presentation and walking tour.
Students dress appropriately, and the expectation is that they interact with university personnel as if it were actually a job interview. Former UP students who now attend UIC met the group for lunch and were participants in a panel for the student visitors.
Currently, there are 36 Palatine High School students in the program, with an additional 10 students on a wait-list.