Adult Living Class Visits USD
May 24, 2012
On Friday, April 27, the Adult Living class consisting of Jacob Svitak, Brenna Thies, Allison Backer, Dakota Lawson, Kali Lenhoff and Caitlyn Walz were taken to visit the University of South Dakota in Vermillion by Mrs. Erwin.
The trip was organized as part of the unit the class studied on career selection, preparation for careers, selecting and getting into college and college life. Students started the trip with a list of items suggested for the dorm room. They shopped and compiled a total of the items they thought they would need (yikes, it was a lot of $$).
Next, they went on campus and talked to an admissions counselor, who walked them through the admissions process. She emphasized the importance of being involved in high school and trying to achieve to your potential. She also emphasized the importance of asking many questions, doing a lot of research about the colleges you're interested in attending, visiting at least a couple of campuses, applying for LOTS of scholarships, and getting involved once you are on campus to take advantage of the activities and groups they have to offer their students - no matter what college you end up attending.
A couple of student ambassadors then took the class on a tour around campus through the library, main cafeteria, dorms and wellness/fitness center. The students realized they'd probably have to pare down their dorm room shopping lists after seeing the limited space available in the dorm that they would most likely be sharing with a roommate, so it's important to discuss with future roommate what items to bring so both aren't bringing the same things. They were very impressed by the fairly new wellness/fitness center and all it had to offer.
After the tour students had the chance to try out the cafeteria where they were able to choose the station from which they selected their lunches. They were also able to sit with some former RHS students who now attend USD and ask them some questions about campus life and classes, followed by a visit to one of their own dorm rooms.
The last thing on campus they did was visit the dome where the athletes work out and play. After finishing the campus visit, they went on a scavenger hunt for places of interest and services around Vermillion. Before heading out of town, they were able to stop at Premier Realty and learn about obtaining housing off campus and the ins and outs of signing a lease and the relationship between tenant and landlord.
Overall, they said it was a good experience and it opened their eyes to some of the things they will need to be thinking about and making decisions about in the near future.
