Pflugerville High School is offering 9^th and 10^th graders the opportunity to visit Texas Southern University (TSU, HBCU) and Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU, HBCU) in February to celebrate Black History Month. The Texas Southern University trip is on February 18^th and the Prairie View A&M University trip is on February 25^th. The trips are aimed at increasing the importance of college life and familiarizing students with a college campus, which can affect students’ college knowledge and intentions, academic engagement, conversations about college with school personnel, and high school course load.

Evidence suggests that other barriers may also contribute to students’ not reaching out for higher education, such as students’ sense of belonging. That can play a major role in their choice of whether and where to enroll in college.

College campuses, however, have struggled to create welcoming environments for historically underrepresented groups. With that in mind, one of our strategies for creating a welcoming environment and sense of belonging is early outreach to students from historically underrepresented groups. Our second strategy is offering students tangible experiences with college campus life, such as campus visits.

A new study shows that high school students who show demonstrated interest in a college by making an official visit to campus have an advantage in the admissions process over students who don't make a campus visit. However, depending on how close to home a college is, the expense of visiting a college can be prohibitive for families.

PHS students may begin making decisions about their postsecondary options relatively early in their educational careers. Therefore, participating in college visits in ninth grade can help students explore their postsecondary options and help them make choices in high school that can lead them to successfully applying to college.

To put your student on the bus list, please contact Dr. Luther Baker at (512) 594-0544 or email luther.baker@pfisd.net