The second annual CRS Virtual College Week is coming up next week, May 20 – 24. Virtual College Week connects CRS alumni to colleges, universities and other educational opportunities in an interactive online setting. This year, we are featuring institutions that reflect LAJF’s values of international education and cultural exchange.

Each session will be hosted LIVE on GoToWebinar. The event is free, and everyone is welcome; most sessions are best suited for prospective and current college students. You will need to register to receive the access link, but you only need to register once to attend any of the sessions. Check out the lineup of speakers below.

Virtual College Week Schedule

Tuesday 5/21 at 3PM EDT: Bard College w/ Mackie Siebens, Director of Admissions and CRS alumnus, Justin Shin (CRS ’10, ’14, ’15, ’16, ’17, ’18)

Bard College, located just a few miles down the road from Camp Rising Sun, has had a long history with LAJF. Over the summers, campers have attended several musical performances at Bard College. Additionally, several CRS alumni have graduated from Bard College, most notably, Maurice “Rick” Richter. During Virtual College Week, we will speak with Director of Admissions, Mackie Siebens about the college’s educational philosophy and admissions process. Siebens specializes in international admissions and will also speak to some of Bard’s international partnerships in countries with CRS Alumni Associations. Justin Shin, a 2018 Bard graduate and CRS alumnus, will also share insight into the student experience.

Thursday 5/23 at 11AM EDT: SIT Graduate Institute w/ Javonni McGlaurin, University Relations Manager

The School of International Training (SIT) is a nonprofit, accredited graduate school dedicated to educating passionate, social-minded professionals for international and intercultural careers. Javonni McGlaurin will share information about the global and low-residency MA and certificate programs offered through the SIT Graduate Institute. Founded in 1964 as the School for International Training, SIT has a longstanding commitment to experiential learning and social justice. SIT programs are designed for students at every step of their career. Students at SIT represent a wide variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. McGlaurin will share information about the admissions and financial aid process for prospective students, including international applicants.  The session will also touch on the various undergraduate study abroad opportunities offered through SIT.

Monday 5/20 at 4PM EDT: Minerva College w/ Megan Perpich (CRS ’15), Phelan Omondi (CRS ’18), William Brickman (CRS ‘12), and Dulce Rivera (CRS ’19 counselor)

Minerva Schools at KGI offers students a 4-year undergraduate degree through a series of experiential learning seminars across 7 different countries. In 2018, LAJF interviewed Minerva representative, Rudy Rubio, who shared information about the program’s unique philosophy and merit-based admissions process. This year, LAJF will take a deeper look at Minerva College from the first-hand account of 4 CRS alums currently attending Minerva College. This is an opportunity for alumni to hear the personal experiences of students attending this highly international program, whose mission is to nurture critical wisdom for the sake of the world.

Wednesday 5/22 at 1PM EDT: Study Abroad Programs & Scholarships w/ Jennifer Ramos, Director of Study Abroad at Methodist University

Jennifer Ramos, Director of Study Abroad at Methodist University will provide an overview of the study abroad process, including tips for selecting the right program and identifying scholarships. According to a survey conducted by the Institute for International Education of Students (IES), 94% of students said their study abroad experience continues to influence their interactions with individuals from multiple cultures and 87% said their study abroad experience influenced their subsequent educational experiences. Ramos will discuss the importance of studying abroad and which factors to consider when sorting through the plethora of existing study abroad programs. The session will also emphasize funding opportunities, grants, fellowships, and scholarships available for study abroad, including opportunities available for international students.

Friday 5/24 at 3PM EDT: United World Colleges w/ Mavzuna Sangova (CRS '17) and Chiazo Agina (CRS ’15, ’16)

UWC (United World Colleges) is a global education movement providing International Baccalaureate (IB) Diplomas at 17 schools and colleges on 4 continents. In line with the values of CRS, UWC believes that education can bring together young people from all backgrounds on the basis of their shared humanity and believes education is a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. The majority of UWC schools focus exclusively on the 16-19 year-old age group. Over the past 5 years, over a dozen CRS alums have been accepted on scholarships to UWC schools around the world. We will interview CRS alumnae Chiazo Agina (’15, ’16) and Mavzuna Sangova (’17) about their first-hand experiences as UWC students as well as their reflections on the admissions and financial aid process.

We will be posting all of the week’s interviews to the Camp Rising Sun - College Student Network Facebook Group after the LIVE sessions so you can still get caught up even if you can’t join us live. Bring your questions to the sessions to ask our speakers live! If you cannot attend, please send your questions to contact@lajf.org ahead of time, and we will be sure to ask our speakers for you.  Join CRS-CSN now!

About the College Student Network

Virtual College Week is a project of the The Camp Rising Sun - College Student Network, a closed Facebook group specifically designed to build networks and provide resources for our alumni who are prospective and current college students.

The College Student Network launched in 2018 to facilitate connections among alumni in order to provide insight into college and internship opportunities.  Though our alumni attend universities across the globe, we typically receive the most questions about the admissions process for universities and colleges in the United States. In order to better facilitate college networking among our alumni community, LAJF created The Camp Rising Sun College Student Network (CRS CSN) to bring together alumni who are currently applying for, enrolled in, or otherwise interested in or knowledgeable about, the U.S. College system.

The network (centered around the Facebook group dedicated hereto), is a place for sharing experiences in the admissions process, financial aid, study habits, choice of studies, career opportunities and everything else college-related! The network also provides a space for alumni to post internship and fellowships for students. If you have an internship opportunity opening up with your company, please email us at contact@lajf.org.

In May 2018, LAJF hosted its first Virtual College Week. Throughout the week, LAJF interviewed college admissions professionals including John Reilly (CRS ‘97-’98), Associate Director of College Counseling at Trinity School (NYC) and Eli Bromberg (CRS ‘95-’96), former Assistant Dean of Admission at Amherst College and former Assistant Director of Admission at Columbia University. The sessions focused on tips for navigating the college admissions process, CommonApp, and financial aid applications. Students taking the first step in the college admissions process can view the videos in the CRS CSN Facebook group.