Madeline Kaempfe looks through a college pamphlet.

Over 100 parents and students attended College Planning Night on Nov. 11 to receive information about the post-high school and college search process.

“I attended the event to get more information on test scores, activities and schedules,” junior Madeline Kaempfe said.

Kaempfe attended two of the three sessions.

“I attended College Admissions 101 and ACT vs SAT. The ACT vs SAT compared the pros and cons of taking the tests. The ACT is more of a standardized test and after hearing about both I plan on taking the ACT,” Kaempfe said.

Kaempfe had a positive experience.

“Everyone should go to the event. I learned more than I thought I would,” Kaempfe said.

Junior Shannon Anderson also attended the event.

“I attended the Financial Aid, Mock Admissions Committee and ACT vs. SAT: Find Your Best Fit. I started off in Financial Aid because the description mentioned all sorts of things I hadn’t considered about paying for college, like getting money from the federal and state governments. I went to Mock Admissions because I learned a lot about what highly selective colleges are screening for when they look at your application holistically, which means that they don’t offer automatic admission just based on grades, and spend time reading essays, letters of recommendation and even conducting interviews with potential students. I went to ACT vs. SAT mostly because my mom wanted to know the differences, but since I’m taking them both this year, I thought it couldn’t helped to be even more informed,” Anderson said.

Anderson learned what colleges look for in a student.

“I felt more prepared afterwards because I realized how I, as a student, look to an admissions officer. The speakers reminded us that it really helps your case if you’re enrolled in honors and AP classes, and that focusing on a few activities to take leadership roles in looks great, too,” Anderson said.

Anderson was glad she attended the event.

“It gave me the opportunity to hear from speakers who really knew their stuff rather than trying to draw my own conclusions from what I find on the internet,” Anderson said.

The event started over 10 years ago to allow parents and students to get more in depth information about the college process.

“It provides them with the opportunity to ask questions and gather insight into the specific topics that most pertain to their child’s post-secondary plans,” Counselor Jennifer Wibbenmeyer said.

There are three time slots for parents to go to each covering a specific topic along with a various of guest speakers along with the counseling department attended the event to provide parents and students with more information. There were speakers from Webster University, University of Missouri, Washington University, Princeton Review and the Army National Guard.

“The topics included Financial Aid, College Admissions 101, Highly Selective Colleges, ACT vs SAT, Benefits of the Military, Community Colleges, Family Connection, Mock Admissions and an NCAA Overview for the Student Athlete,” Testing Coordinator Stephanie Hornsby said.

College Planning Night is held annually, in the fall.

“Fall is the more critical time for post-high school planning as seniors are in the final stages of the admission process, and juniors are in the early stages of looking at potential colleges,” Hornsby said.