High school seniors experience the 'maze' of registration at CU

How vividly do you recall your college registration experience? Typically, the process can be hectic and somewhat unpredictable. Such was the case for approximately 60 students from school districts across central New York state during a mock registration at the mythical ACE University March 20 at Cornell's Kennedy and Roberts halls.

During the ACE program's mock college registration exercise in the foyer of Call Auditorium in Kennedy Hall, April 20, Robert Acunto, right, associate director of admissions and athletics liaison at Cornell, assists, from left, high school seniors Lindsey Moore, from Homer; Deena Muhmoud, from Cortland; Amanda Koltz, from Cortland; and Laura Fowler, from Ithaca. Nicola Kountoupes/University Photography

The annual representation of a college registration day is an event of the Access to College Education (ACE) program. Now in its 13th year, this partnership between Cornell, Ithaca College, Tompkins Cortland Community College, SUNY Cortland and 14 area high school districts provides academic support and information to students who may not otherwise consider applying to college.

Students generally enter the program in the 8th grade upon recommendations from their school district. The participating high schools target students who, without ACE support, may not otherwise consider college a realistic option. ACE provides resources and services to help capable students overcome such barriers as lack of motivation, effects of low socio-economic status and limited exposure to advanced education. The program provides skill training and academic support, access to college resources while students are still in high school and guaranteed admission to at least one of the four participating colleges after successful completion of the ACE program.

The primary purpose of the "Daze Through the Maze" exercise was to introduce high school seniors to the type of experiences they are likely to have on registration day at any college, not specifically Cornell.

Representatives from the offices of the Bursar, Financial Aid, Health Services, University Registrar, Student Employment and Insurance participated in the event, as did representatives from the departments of Campus Life and Athletics and Physical Education. Faculty members served as advisers. Representatives told ACE students about the functions of their offices and directed them to the areas they needed to visit next. In order to simulate more closely what a real registration experience can be like for students, representatives were encouraged to introduce scenarios that students may actually encounter. These included having to complete additional paperwork, having registration holds on their accounts and discovering that some office representatives or faculty advisers were not immediately available to them.

Shortly after the hour and a half registration process, the students participated in a workshop on personal financial management led by Ricardo Morales, an associate director of the Office of Minority Educational Affairs at Cornell. The event was coordinated by Cal Walker, associate director of the Learning Strategies Center in Cornell's Center for Learning and Teaching.