Frederick Community College’s annual FCC Night at the JBK Theater occurred on Thursday, Feb. 20. That night, high school seniors looking to attend FCC beginning fall 2020 could stock up on any information they needed.
Topics such as counseling & advising, admissions, R.O.A.R., financial aid, and a twilight campus tour were the highlights of the evening.
At the Career & Transfer Services table in the lobby of the Visual & Performing Arts building, Dr. Chad Adero, executive director of counseling and advising, guided students on career exploration courses offered at FCC for the students unsure of their degree path. Students who had a career in mind had the opportunity to visit the department tables of their choice, including Arts & Humanities, Honors College, English, Stem, General Studies, and more.
The Student Panel, four FCC students, and Jen Sealy, coordinator of admissions, recruitment and outreach, took questions from the audience. Topics like transfer fairs and meeting with a career coach were discussed. Panel members also recommended that students check out the website ‘ratemyprofessor.com’ as a source to choose the right professor for a class. More direct recommendations from the panel of students came in the form of advice on how to positively view FCC and this new college journey.
“You can handle it,” said one student. “Don’t underestimate community college,” said another. “Get involved on campus, be comfortable, and be yourself,” said one student.
Presentations came in the form of greetings from Dr. Nora Clark, vice president for Learning Support. Levels of education were discussed by Sealy. R.O.A.R., which stands for Required Orientation, Advising and Registration, was discussed by Dr. Chad Adero, executive director of counseling and advising.
“FCC has been rated the best community college in Maryland with the highest graduation rate,” said Clark.
Later, there were breakout sessions for financial aid information and brief campus tours. Haleigh Tucker and Samantha Johnson, current freshman students at FCC, led twilight tours of campus. They guided parents and students around buildings such as the Student Center, home to the Cougar Café and the student game room. Other buildings on the tour included the Student Learning Commons (Library) located on the second floor of Linganore Hall. There a group of students were greeted by Courtney Sloan, the Tutoring & Writing Center Coordinator.
“We have a 6 day a week availability for walk-in tutoring. The Student Center is a place to help de-stress the schoolwork process,” Sloan said.
After the tour ended, our group was met by Lisa Freel, director of admissions. She thanked everyone for coming. During a brief interview, Freel said the most asked question by the upcoming FCC freshman and parents was this: now that they had attended this night, is the next event this spring, known as “Bridge Night”, necessary?
“Bridge Night is important in the transition from high school to college; it gives a full campus tour,” she said.
