Long Island is the home to over 20 colleges and universities. This puts Central Islip students at an advantage because they can do multiple college visits within an hour’s drive. On October 25, the Pre-AP English II students of Mrs. Corcione and Dr. Griffin visited Molloy College, in Rockville Center, for their college fair. This collection of many colleges that met at Molloy gave the students an even wider range of schools and programs to consider.

Victoria Sciallo, a tenth grader on the trip, explained that this experience was extremely helpful. “It was fun,” she said, “it was easy to find information. It was better than searching online because there were people to answer questions.” One school that she learned a lot about was Mount Saint Mary College. For students thinking of becoming teachers, this college might be something to consider. It is located in Newburg, NY, which is only a two hour drive from Central Islip, They have a unique approach to training future teachers by having their own elementary school right on their campus. Future teachers begin their field work at the Bishop Dunn Memorial School freshman year and continue throughout their college career at Mount Saint Mary. Their experience does not have to stop at graduation as the school is staffed with Mount Saint Mary alumni. According to their website, two recent New York State Teachers of the Year were Mount Saint Mary alumni.

According to Victoria, many schools there had strong social media presences, especially on TikTok. That seemed to have a large impact on the high school students present. Giveaways and reputation helped and it was noted that Penn State had the most interest as suggested by their line that wrapped around the gym.

It is never too early to start thinking about colleges and gathering information. If you are interested in upcoming college fairs, visit the guidance office for more information.