AHS seniors who are looking to go to Northern Virginia Community College took a trip to visit the Annandale Campus on Mar. 7. They toured for approximately four hours while exploring the campus to see classrooms and campus life. The trip was set up to introduce the seniors to the campus and allow them to experience what it might be like to go there for their time in college.

“The trip was actually fun. We were welcomed by the faculty and staff. The building itself is amazing and the attending students and teachers are so wonderful,” senior Omar Abdelhamid said.

On the field trip, students benefitted from listening to many different speakers who helped them to learn about the different programs NOVA has to offer. They heard from the high school outreach coordinator, a finance advisor and the first year academic advisor.

The first year academic advisor discussed how community college offers many of the same courses taught by college professors from other universities such as Mason and Georgetown, for better prices.

“I was excited to learn about the honors program, and how I can get a high level education from the community college,” senior Symone Jenkins said.

After the presentations, they took a guided tour of the campus and the classrooms, and ate in the cafeteria to finish off the trip.

“The campus was much nicer than I expected, and the classrooms were especially nice,” Jenkins said.

The main reason for the field trip was to allow students to immerse themselves in the college, and to experience for a brief moment what it might be like to attend NOVA for their education.

“The field trip is meant to help students get a feeling for what the school is like, as with any college visit. I think it is one of the most important things to do before choosing a college,” career center specialist Robin Roth said.