EAOP Higher Education Week brings college representatives to area high schools

The Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) at UC Santa Barbara will hold its annual spring Higher Education Week, a traveling college fair, from Tuesday, March 5 through Friday, March 8. Representatives from universities, colleges and other institutions of higher education will visit 12 high school campuses across Santa Barbara and Ventura counties to meet with students and discuss post-secondary education opportunities.

Targeted to 11th-grade high school students, the aim of Higher Education Week is to provide students the opportunity to learn about all four systems of higher education, including out-of-state schools. As many as 37 college representatives will participate each day.

The visits include brief presentations on financial aid and college admissions followed by college fairs. The first will take place at Cabrillo, Righetti and Pioneer Valley high schools Tuesday, March 5. The event will move south to Ventura, Pacifica and Oxnard high schools Wednesday, March 6. College fairs and presentations will be held at Camarillo, Hueneme and Channel Islands, high schools Thursday, March 7. The week will conclude with visits to Fillmore, Santa Paula and Rio Mesa high schools Friday, March 8.

UC Santa Barbara EAOP seeks to raise student achievement and close achievement gaps to increase the number of students who have the opportunity to attain a postsecondary education. EAOP focuses on four key strategies — academic advising, college knowledge, academic enrichment and entrance exam preparation — to help students reach college eligibility and participate in higher education.

A variety of pre-college programs offered on an annual basis give students the opportunity to visit UCSB, tour campus labs, meet with faculty members and conduct research or participate in other academic enrichment activities. Among the programs and services are annual transcript evaluation, academic advisement, academic achiever’s receptions, study skills and testing strategies, college readiness seminars, the Education-Leadership-Careers Conference, UC Success Night and college readiness academies.