Fusion Education Group's Free College Week Brings Families Front and Center with Post-Secondary Options and Tools

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Sep 30, 2021, 08:00 ET

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Sept. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Recognizing that all students learn differently, and their post-secondary paths will vary, Fusion Education Group will kick off October with a Virtual College Week, connecting families with college admissions teams and testing experts and equipping them with the necessary tools to chart an executable plan.

"Figuring out what their next step is an exciting and nerve-wracking decision for high schoolers," said Nikki Bozick, Fusion Education Group Director of Counseling. "College week is our best effort to acquaint all students and families with options, to normalize the differences in how students learn, and to empower students to understand their strengths so they can craft a plan that is manageable and stress-free."

Fusion Education Group (FEG) offers personalized education for middle and high school students at its 80 accredited schools in 16 states and includes Fusion Academy, Futures Academy, Barnstable Academy, and Fusion Global Academy. This is the third year that FEG has hosted the college week and the first time FEG opened the week-long program to all families.

"Our college fair allows any student to skip the big auditorium, which can be incredibly overwhelming, and virtually meet with dozens of college admission teams in the comfort of their own home," said Bozick. "With that knowledge and confidence, they can meet with counselors, get an early start on planning, strategize for test prep, and match their aspirations with the right post-secondary institutions."

The FEG Virtual College Week is free and open to all high school families, events include:

Monday October 4, 2021, 4:00pm - 7:00pm EST, National Virtual College Fair, 31 post-secondary institutions participating (pre-registration required)
Tuesday, October 5, 2021, 7:00 PM EST, Finding the Right College for Students Who Learn Differently
Wednesday, October 6, 2021, 7:00 PM EST, Getting Ahead: What Freshman & Sophomore Students Can Do to Prepare for College Now
Thursday, October 7, 2021, 7:00 PM EST, How to Change an SAT Score
Friday, October 8, 2021, 7:30 PM EST, College Planning: Creating A Strong College List

All webinar details can be found here, and interested students can register here.

"Every day there's news that impacts high schoolers as COVID-19 heightened an already challenging time for families, compounded learning loss, and increased social isolation," said Bozick. "FEG is committed to supporting all high schoolers in realizing their full potential and this community effort supports that mission."

The post-secondary landscape is changing for students, from who is enrolling to when and what, if any, admission test is required. According to National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) data, women are outpacing men in college enrollment. At the end of the 2020-21 academic year, nearly 60 percent of all college students were women – an all-time high. If the trend continues, within the next few years twice as many women as men will earn college degrees, the NSC's executive director told the Wall Street Journal.

As fewer men enroll in college, other students are postponing. Wakefield Research conducted a survey during the last school year on behalf of Junior Achievement USA and Citizens Bank which found that one-in-four (25%) of the Class of 2020 high school graduates, delayed their plans to attend college due to the pandemic, and one-in-five (20%) Class of 2020 high school graduates had the goal of getting a college degree in the next 10 years.

While high schoolers weigh gap years and alternative paths, they also need to navigate a changing admission landscape that makes the SAT and ACT optional. The University of California announced earlier this year that it will not take SAT and ACT scores into account in admissions or scholarship decisions. State legislatures in Illinois and Colorado require public universities to permit students to choose whether they submit ACT and SAT scores when applying to public colleges and universities.

Neill Seltzer, Partner and Chief Tutoring Officer at Mindprint Learning, and Matt McCorkle, co-founder of Clear Choice Learning Systems, will participate in the Thursday, October 7 webinar "How to Change an SAT Score", which will be open to Q&A.

McCorkle said, "The ACT and SAT remain valuable tools to measure comprehension and ability. We're hopeful that we can help students understand how they comprehend the content and how to pace themselves to acquire the best score possible."

Seltzer added that parents and students should approach the college search much as the colleges do for admissions, be selective. "Once they possess the knowledge of what they want and need to be a successful learner, they can practice their own self-advocacy, which just happens to have the lovely byproduct of helping them get into schools and programs that they've chosen."

More than 250 students are currently registered for FEG's Free Virtual College Week fair and four webinars. Bozick said, "We are glad to leverage the knowledge and resources of our own teams, our education partners, and industry experts to support our greater community."

About Fusion Education Group:
Fusion Education Group provides accredited personalized education for middle and high school students at its 80 campuses nationwide and includes Fusion Academy, with more than 60 campuses that offer one-to-one instruction, Futures Academy, which offers one-to-one, small group instruction and online learning at 15 California campuses, Barnstable Academy, which offers traditional college-prep in a small school setting in New Jersey, and Fusion Global Academy, which offers one-to-one personalized education through a completely virtual campus that currently serves students in 45 states and 18 countries. Fusion Education Group's dedicated counselors work across the country to support students find and follow their post-high school path. More information about FEG's Free Virtual College Week can be found here.

SOURCE Fusion Education Group