With the semester coming to a close, it is time for seniors to start making a monumental choice for their future: what they want to do after high school. Five different colleges came to PHS for College Admissions Day to try and influence students’ decisions.  

Deciding what college to go to can be a really difficult decision. Every school has benefits and something that makes it sound out among its competitors. The schools that came to Admissions Day are no different. Some have great campuses and dorms while others have stellar academics and teachers. Casper College is one of the schools that has great residence options.

“Our dorms are a really big draw, just because they are super nice,” Casper College Admissions Representative MacKenzie Miller said. “You have your own bathroom, and you get to pick your roommate. You’re not required to live on campus either.”

Casper College, located in Casper, Wyoming, has more than great dorms. They also offer more than 140 different majors.

“We have specialty programs like trades, welding, auto body, diesel, things like that. They can do a nine-month certificate,” Miller said. “We also offer nursing, radiography, and respiratory therapy. Our ag programs are super in-depth, so there’s a lot to choose from.”

Another school with lots of different options is Northwest College, here in Powell, Wyoming. They are another community college that has options for everyone.

“We have 48 associate degrees, transfer degrees. We have 19 Work Ready degrees. We have tons of certificates available for students,” Northwest College Admissions Coordinator Kendle Jeffs said. “ We also have our non-credited side, our Center for Training and Development. They offer trade programs, electrical apprenticeships, plumbing, and HVAC. So we really have a little bit of everything for all students.”

However, the large number of different options, in Jeffs’s opinion, is not the most impressive side of Northwest. Student life is.

“Student life is thriving. It’s amazing,” Jeffs said. “There’s only something going on on campus. Our goal is for you to never be bored.”

Some of the events that Jeffs talked about were Humans vs. Zombies, a haunted house, and cultural lunches. She also talked about the new student center that recently was built, saying how it will be a great place for students to hang out, study, eat lunch, and take a nap.

Another school that shouldn’t be slept on is Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota. With top-tier degrees, they are arguably one of the best schools in the area.

“We’re a top 5% in the world for business. So we’re up there with Harvard, Yale, Stanford, those kinds of schools,” Black Hills State University Admissions Counselor Matthew Woodard said. ¨Education is our second largest. We were founded as a teacher’s college back 140 years ago. Pre-med is our third largest. We’re successful at getting about 90% of our students into medical school after they graduate from us.”

The School of Business at Black Hills State is an AABCS-accredited program. Only about 700 schools worldwide have that accreditation, making Black Hills State something special. Something else that makes them special is the professors.

¨In addition to that, the faculty that we have here, they’re incredible. They get to know students on a first-name basis,¨ Woodard said. ¨They know they recognize students from 20 years ago that they see in a supermarket.¨

While great teachers might draw in some students, others might enjoy being outside a little bit more. For those students, Sheridan College might be a great option.

“The outdoor activities that are available for students set [Sheridan] apart. Just because we’re so close to the mountains and we have the skiing, fishing and hiking,” Sheridan College Enrollment Counselor Grace Bailey said. “We have this place on campus called the Innominate house, and you can [borrow] any like ski, snowboarding, fishing or hiking equipment, that you want.”

However, the outdoors is not the only great thing about Sheridan College. They also are extremely affordable.

“It’s pretty cost-effective in general,” Bailey said. “Sheridan College is low-expense, so you will graduate without a lot of debt.”

Another school that prides itself on being affordable for Wyoming students is the state’s only university, the University of Wyoming.

“We make it really affordable for Wyoming students, [with] a bunch of scholarships. Obviously, scholarships like Hathaway help a lot, but we offer a bunch of our own scholarships,” University of Wyoming Admissions Representative Katherine Cowel said.“ I definitely think for everything that we offer funding and research-wise and kind of experience-based learning for the price for Wyoming students, I definitely don’t think you can beat it.”

Obviously, education is a priority of Wyoming Colleges. No matter which one you choose to attend, they all have benefits for students of any kind.