Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Friday, December 05, 2008

Two things that teenagers are keen on – college and shopping – come together in the University Mall, an interactive “iSchool” Web space featuring more than 80 schools from around the country.

“Students and parents and counselors can contact college and university officials with their pertinent questions, and then the questions and answers will be posted for all to see,” said Bonnie Barnes, lead guidance counselor at Henry Clay High School.

The idea grew out of the annual fall College Night, which Henry Clay hosts at Heritage Hall. Principal John Nochta, who has watched the number of regional participants at the informational fair balloon, suggested that Fayette County Public Schools create a vehicle for follow-up between its students and university admissions offices.

“To personalize the whole process, it made pretty good sense,” Nochta said.

So district technology staffers worked with the school to design the virtual University Mall – starting with data from interested College Night representatives, including a brief description of each school, its address and admissions contact information.

“This is a service for high school juniors and seniors who want to find out information about universities and want to communicate with a real person online,” said Jeff Jones, a district technology resource teacher. “We’ve created discussion areas for each college. Students are given an access key, and they can go in and interact with these people.”

The University Mall is open to all five high schools; students can get a password from their guidance office to access it and enroll in the forums.

“It may be spring or early fall before it really starts moving,” Barnes said. “We really gear up with more college visits when we come back from winter break. That is going to spark interest again (among juniors), then the iSchool Web site will be really hopping.”

In the meantime, high school counselors are publicizing the new resource through school newsletters and Web sites and postcards to students’ families.

“I’d think it would be helpful, if I was a parent, to look through those questions that other people are asking,” Barnes said. “I think it’s going to be very valuable information and helpful to parents and students as they’re trying to make these decisions.”

Sabina Massey, senior class sponsor at Bryan Station High School, agreed that the University Mall will be a useful tool as students shop around for the right fit.

“It’s basically to know more about the colleges they can’t get to because of time or distance,” she said. “It takes out so much legwork for everyone to be able to choose what they want.”

About the University Mall:

The University Mall resides in the Henry Clay High School area of iSchool space, but students in all five high schools may access and use it. They simply ask for a password at their own guidance office. Once enrolled, students can participate in any active university forum – contact the admissions counselors and read everyone else’s questions and answers about the various colleges. Among the more than 80 participants are Asbury College in Wilmore, Depauw University in Indiana, Lincoln College of Technology in Lexington and the Watkins College of Art, Design and Film in Nashville.