Class of 2024 Travels to San Diego for Two Days of College Campus Visits

As a way to experience a variety of different college campuses and spend some downtime with their fellow classmates, the Upper School’s junior class recently traveled to San Diego for an insightful college tour organized by St. Margaret’s College Counseling Office. 

The Class of 2024 visited the University of San Diego, San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego—exploring the campuses, meeting with admission representatives and experiencing an authentic taste of life as a college student. 

“San Diego is perfect for a trip like this,” said Director of College Counseling Elise Rodriguez. “Over the course of two days, our juniors were able to see a campus from each of California’s public-university systems, as well as a smaller private university. It was a valuable glimpse into what college life is like at each of these different schools.”

At the University of San Diego, the St. Margaret’s contingent met with the USD admission representative who works with St. Margaret’s. Tartans listened to an informative presentation about the school before embarking on a campus tour led by current USD students. 

At San Diego State, the St. Margaret’s students explored the campus on their own. Students visited different building aligned with their academic interests, stopped by the bookstore, checked out the school’s athletic facilities and more. 

At UCSD, Tartans listened to a panel of current students describe their experiences at the university, and took guided tours around campus. 

St. Margaret’s students and professional community members on the trip also reconnected with several Tartan alumni currently studying in San Diego, including Aiden Momtaz ’22, Sarah Pence ’21 and Chloe Lias ‘22 at UCSD, and John Culley ‘22 and Owen Muhlon ‘22 at USD. 

The Tartan contingent returned to St. Margaret’s after the UCSD visit. 

“We gave the students some independence to explore these campuses and get a taste of college life before they officially begin the process of applying to schools this fall,” Ms. Rodriguez said. “We were proud of how they handled themselves and represented St. Margaret’s during this entire trip.”

In addition to the college visits, there was also plenty of downtime for students to unwind with classmates and friends. The group went to a San Diego Padres game, and also visited Balboa Park. 

The trip was a fun way to bond and unwind at the end of the school year, a year which included a new CGM block organized by the College Counseling Office. CGM is a designated block during the school day where students meet with St. Margaret’s college counselors—Ms. Rodriguez, Senior Associate Director Amy Warren and Associate Director Erica Huerta—for important educational touchpoints about the college-admissions process. 

The CGM block will continue into the fall of their senior year, when the college-application process begins.