Colleges across state offer tours for prospective students

MANKATO — Summer may feel like it’s only just begun, but the new school year will be here soon. And for those entering the final year of their high school career, colleges around the state are hoping to make their next steps a little easier.

June 23-27 marked MN State Week, a program organized by the Minnesota State system of colleges, to help introduce state high school students to colleges in their area. All of Minnesota’s 33 colleges and universities held open tours this week, including Minnesota State University, Mankato.

“Most of our tours are full during this week, especially Friday. Friday usually fills up the quickest, but all or most of our tours are full this week,” Felicia Kortuem said.

Kortuem serves as the assistant director of admissions – recruitment marketing for the university, and helps to facilitate the tours that have been going on all week. According to the university, 112 people have taken tours across the week, 46 of whom are prospective students.

During these tours, prospective students and their families sit in on a 30-minute presentation about the application process and some of the important dates to keep in mind before taking a tour of campus.

Attracting local students is a big priority for in-state colleges, not only because it can lead to a stronger state workforce, but because students tend to make stronger connections at the local level.

“Minnesota students are who we have a top priority to serve and we want to attract and prepare the next leaders of our community and state,” said John Engquist, MSU’s associate director of admissions.

Mankato Area Public School Supt. Paul Peterson agreed, sending in a statement that read, in part, “Minnesota high school students benefit greatly from choosing a college education right here in our state. … Attending college in-state increases the likelihood that students will build networks and launch careers close to home. That’s a win for students and a win for the local and regional economies.”

As a part of MN State Week, application fees across the state are waived for undergrad students.

Aubrey Lee will be a senior next year. Her and her family live in Farmington, and she was one of those prospective students on tour this week. She wants to go into a good theater program, and hopes to become a stage manager or assistant stage manager, and says that having a prestigious school close to home is a big draw for her.

“I’m basically just looking for really good theater programs and that’s here,” Lee said. “I want to stay close to home.”

The theater department wasn’t a part of the campus tour this week, but students and their families had the chance to walk around campus and explore on their own following the tour. Aubrey says having the ability to see where she might be going is a big benefit to her.

“I really enjoyed the tour. I think I saw a lot at the campus. I’m gonna go see the theater department (next).”

That decision to stay close to home, and the ability to come and actually see the campus, takes a load off of her parent’s shoulders as well.

“Personally, I don’t want her to be too far away, but we (both) went to just community colleges. So this is an exciting thing that she wants to actually go to a four-year college,” Aubrey’s mom Melanie said. “For me, knowing all of the things that are available, I know that she can get plugged in and won’t just get lost.”

Staying close to family is one of the main reasons cited for many students considering an in-state college. Costs are another one, and both played a big factor in bringing Katelyn Young, one of the tour group leaders at MSU, to campus.

“I’m very close with my family. So I really wanted to be able to go home and see them when there’s things going on. … I think it’s nice just price range wise because you are able to use in-state tuition. You can go and visit other places and go home, but you still have a nice way to get places especially here at MSU.”

The state week tours will wrap up on Friday, but MSU says that interested students and their families are still more than welcome to call the admissions office and set up a tour for the summer.