Graves Middle School’s Community Liaison, George Mailat, hosted a four week Parent College Workshop in the school cafeteria on four Mondays in May from 5:30 to 6:30 to teach and discuss what parents and students need to know about college, and how to best prepare for college.
Mailat covered all different topics about college. He discussed how to choose a major, registering for classes, and how to get financial aide and scholarships. He also discussed how classes and grades in high school can effect college applications and class registration. He then covered the social aspect of college and what college life can look like. For example, dorms and off campus housing along with pros and cons, and how to live a balanced life between studying and social activities.
Another topic discussed was the importance of being involved on campus. Maliat spoke and gave real life examples of how being involved in clubs, internships, and study abroad programs can have a great impact on not only a student’s college experience but the opportunities it can bring for future careers and networking.
The workshops were very interactive as Mailat engaged with parents and students by hearing from them about what they think college life will be like, what they’ve heard about college life, and what they know about college life. Parents and students were able to ask honest questions about topics they wanted to learn about and were able to discuss myths and truths.
The workshop had about 45 parents participate, and George Mailat plans to continue this workshop next year.