Center Eases College Admission Stress

The deadline for freshman applications to Arizona universities is fast approaching and the Metropolitan Education Commission Regional College Access Center is the place to go for help.

“There is a motivation to go to college but some students don’t have the information that they need to go,” said Vicky Mullins, center coordinator.

The center is set up to help students and parents fill out college applications, financial aid forms, search for local and national scholarships and more, said June Webb-Vignery, director of the Metropolitan Education Commission.

Mullins said the center targets low-income high school students who will be the first in their family to go to college.

Webb-Vignery said that first generation college students and their parents often find that they need lots of help in preparing to go to college.

“In fact, we have found the parents are using [the center] as much as the students,” she said.

Advising is available to everyone in Pima County, including high school students and adults. Assistance is available in English and Spanish in person or at the center’s website.

“It gives us the ability to reach everyone,” Webb-Vignery said.

Students can look at what colleges are available, get help choosing a major for the career they want and get information about financial aid and scholarships.

“You will find out stuff that you didn’t even know existed,” she said.

With the online College Toolkit, students can sign up under an account or just browse.

“Our recommendation is that you sign up with an account,” Webb-Vignery said. “If the student has an account, then they can interact with their school counselors and get more use out of the website.”

For more information about the program, contact Vicky Mullins at 670-0055 or visit the center’s website at www.metedu.org/rcac. The center is located at 930 E. Broadway Blvd.