The college admissions process can weigh a student down with applications, essays and financial aid documents. A local institution will prepare students for the admissions process while opening their eyes to the variety of higher education opportunities.

On Monday and Tuesday, Shepherd University will host its annual college fair. High school students are invited to learn more about all that comes with higher education.

“Our hope is to bring awareness to the community about the process and the options that are available,” said Shannon Zimmerman, SU associate director of admissions.

Zimmerman said some students don’t realize the plethora of opportunities out there after high school: four-year and two-year schools, associate programs and technical and military schools.

The local high schools will even bus students in on Tuesday morning in case they missed the opportunity to attend Monday evening’s festivities.

Howard Guth, principal at Jefferson High School, said they will send about 100 seniors on Tuesday.

“I think the kids need to see that experience and actually see what’s out there.”

Zimmerman said attendees, whether its high school students or transfers, will be able to speak to state institutions as well as schools from Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Vermont and North Carolina. Officials will be there to answer questions about financial aid, NCAA forms and the Med-Step Program, a partnership between SU and West Virginia University that can admit high-caliber Shepherd biology students into WVU’s medical school.

Guth said while some JHS students have started the college admissions process, others don’t know where to start.

“A lot of the kids aren’t on the ball, and this gets the ball rolling,” he said.

When Guth became principal at JHS five years ago, the college-go rate was at about 48 percent. Guth proudly reports that number to be about 72 percent. He said students need higher education degrees these days to land jobs.

Guth said his school even has a good relationship with SU and is glad to send students to the fair.

“It’s free,” Zimmerman said about the fair, which hosts over 50 schools each year. “It’s about finding out where (the students) fit, and this is the first step in the process.”

The is Monday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. For more information, contact SU’s Admissions Office at (304) 876-5212.