College representatives bring the future into focus at Columbus
Updated: Oct 16
With dozens of universities visiting campus, Columbus students are finding opportunities to explore their futures without leaving their high school.
by Oscar Pinto
The question was simple: What makes a student stand out?
For Christopher Columbus High School senior Martin Iparaguire, the answer could determine where he spends one of the most important periods of his life.
As college application deadlines approach, Iparaguire faces decisions that extend beyond grades and standardized test scores.
For months, the admissions process has been dominated by numbers. GPAs, SAT scores and university acceptance rates have become calculations that students know like the back of their hands. However, college representative visits are encouraging students to consider what matters most.
Iparaguire attended presentations from Indiana University and the University of Miami, where he gained insight into what universities look for in prospective students.
Across Columbus, conversations like these are becoming part of the college preparation experience.
Throughout the fall semester, representatives from universities across the country are visiting campus, bringing the admissions process directly to students preparing to make some of the most important decisions of their academic lives.
Bringing Universities to the Explorers
Organized through the Pat Call & Irene Culmo Center for College & Career Guidance, the visits allow students to interact with admissions representatives without traveling hundreds or thousands of miles to university campuses.
During September 2026 alone, Columbus hosted more than 30 college representative visits, according to the school's principal's newsletter.
The October schedule includes institutions such as Tulane University, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Chicago and George Washington University.
According to Columbus College Counselor & Director of Counseling Services, Iris Martinez, the school hosts approximately 78 to 80 institutions every year between September and October.
To determine which universities visit campus, the counseling department examines data from previous years, including where Columbus students have applied and gained admission.
"We look at previous years' data of where students are applying and are admitted," Martinez said.
The school then reaches out to those institutions and allows additional universities to register for available dates through MaiaLearning, the school's college planning platform.
Students can also register for visits directly through MaiaLearning.
Registration is available until 24 hours before the scheduled visit or until the session reaches capacity.
The sessions are open to sophomores, juniors and seniors, giving students an opportunity to begin exploring colleges before their final year of high school.
For students, these visits provide opportunities to learn about academic programs, scholarships, admissions requirements and campus life at multiple institutions.
"The main purpose of the college visits is to promote and bring colleges and expose students to the various types of colleges all across the U.S. and international," Martinez said.
Martinez explained that these visits provide firsthand information from admissions representatives, especially for students who may not have the opportunity to travel to a university.
For seniors approaching application deadlines, these conversations can provide the clarity and knowledge they need when deciding where to apply.
More Than an Acceptance Letter
The college admissions process is often dominated by numbers.
Acceptance rates, tuition costs, standardized test scores and national rankings can influence which universities students consider. However, those statistics rarely explain what daily life at an institution really looks like.
That distinction is central to the purpose of college exploration.
A university's prestige does not necessarily determine whether it is the right choice for every student. Academic programs, financial aid, campus life and career opportunities all influence these decisions.
For Iparaguire, attending the Indiana University and University of Miami presentations provided an opportunity to understand the admissions process from a different perspective.
"Before attending the Indiana University and University of Miami visits, I thought the admissions process was mostly about grades and test scores," Iparaguire said. "But after hearing directly from the representatives, I realized universities look for more than just numbers. It gave me a different perspective on how the whole process works."
Beyond learning about universities, students also have an opportunity to establish relationships with admissions representatives.
According to Martinez, students may have the chance to connect directly with the representative who will later review their college application.
"You could connect with the representative that's going to read and review the application," Martinez said.
These interactions can also expose students to institutions they may not have previously considered.
When asked whether students have changed their college interests after attending a visit, Martinez explained that the impact is not necessarily reflected in where students ultimately enroll.
"Students, oftentimes, will add an institution that they thought they would not like based on that college visit," Martinez said.
For students who have already developed a list of prospective colleges, a single conversation can introduce another possibility.
The Opportunities and the Questions
While the visits provide valuable information regarding admissions, they also raise questions about how students use the resources available to them.
With rigorous classes, athletics, extracurricular activities and application deadlines competing for their attention, students may find it difficult to attend every presentation that interests them.
For some, the challenge is deciding which universities deserve their time. For others, it is knowing which questions to ask.
Columbus' college counseling program addresses these challenges through representative visits, college fairs, application workshops and individualized guidance.
Still, the responsibility falls on students to make these decisions.
An admissions presentation cannot guarantee acceptance. Meeting a university representative does not mean a student will be admitted or necessarily strengthen an application.
But the opportunity to speak directly with someone familiar with the institution can help students identify what they need to investigate next.
For students like Iparaguire, these conversations demonstrate that preparing for college involves more than building a competitive application. It also means understanding the opportunities and expectations that come with attending a university.
When the Presentation Ends
As college representative visits conclude and application deadlines approach, Columbus seniors must turn the information they have gathered into decisions about their futures.
For Iparaguire, his GPA has not changed. Neither has his SAT score or the acceptance rates of the universities he is considering.
The admissions process remains just as competitive as before.
But something about his approach has changed.
Instead of focusing exclusively on his chances of acceptance, he can consider a different question.
What can he do to demonstrate that he belongs at the university he hopes to attend?
For Columbus students, the path to college will eventually lead beyond the familiar hallways of their high school.
For now, however, some of the most important conversations about that future are taking place inside them.
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