KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany - Finding the right college and subsequent financial assistance just got a lot easier for students living in military communities throughout Europe.
A one-stop shopping for higher education bonanza, College Night is scheduled to be held here from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 8 at the Special Events Center, Bldg. 237 on Rhine Ordnance Barracks.
College Night offers all Department of Defense Dependent Schools-Europe high school students and their parents a chance to get first-hand knowledge about colleges and universities, scholarships and financial assistance.
"Not all students can go back to the states to see colleges," said Lynn Rice, the U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern's school liaison officer. "And by having College Night here, it actually gives them an idea - 'Do I want to go to this college'' or 'What does this college have to offer me''"
A record number of 1,631 students, parents and teachers, and close to 200 representative from 110 accredited colleges and universities, as well as scholarship and financial agencies from the U.S. and Europe attended last year's College Night.
"Unbelievable," said Air Force Col. Tina Harvey, with the 3rd Air Force on Ramstein Air Base, who was there with her two teenage sons at last year's event. "What diversity - all the service academies were represented as well as some high-powered academic institutions like Harvard and Duke (universities), and the whole gamut like the New York Film Institute was there as well - there was something for everybody."
Free and open to all U.S. card-holders, College Night is also a good opportunity for service members, civilians, retirees and their families wanting to pursue higher education. Participation from other military schools in Europe is strongly encouraged, said Rice, who added that middle school students may also attend.
About 120 accredited colleges and universities are expected to have representatives at this year's event, said Rice. These representatives are a mixture of university staff from the U.S. and alumni living in Europe. There will also be representatives from scholarship and financial assistance agencies, and military recruiters.
This is the 13th year that the Kaiserslautern military community has held College Night with the two local high schools - Kaiserslautern and Ramstein - rotating logistics and sponsorship. This is the third year that the garrison's Family and Morale Welfare and Recreation directorate will partner with the host school, which is KHS this year.
The Special Events Center, where the garrison's bazaars are held, is more than double the size of either school's gym. Space is a big consideration because, as Rice said, this event is designed for people to have direct contact with college and university representatives so they can concentrate on this possibly major, life-changing decision.
Harvey made an amusing observation of the event, "All the children were hanging out at the college booths, while all the parents were hanging out at the scholarship booths."
Planning for College Night starts around May of the previous school year and takes the collected dedication of garrison and KMC school staffs, members from parent teacher organizations, community volunteers and the garrison school liaison officer.
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