More than 100 teens from throughout Nevada will be on the University of Nevada campus next week for a five-day program that introduces them to college life and lets them explore possible majors.
The UNR Cooperative Extension's "Discover Your Future" program starting Sunday lets students ages 14 to 19 stay in UNR dorms and learn about different fields of study. The event is put on by Extension's State 4-H Office and is in its fifth year.
"The goal is to give participants a chance to really experience college life," state 4-H Youth Leadership Assistant Reanna Bye said. "They stay in the dorms, eat in the cafeteria and attend classes and activities in the various colleges."
This year, Discover Your Future's 115 participants will be able to explore majors in business, education, science, health science, engineering and agriculture. In addition to attending classes in the different colleges, there will also be sessions to help participants decide on a career and financially plan for their college education. In the evenings, there is a trip to Lake Tahoe, a visit to the Lombardi Recreation Center and a banquet, Bye said.
Bye noted that the colleges on campus are usually very eager to introduce the prospective students to their schools.
"It's a great opportunity for them to show off their college," she said. "It provides them with direct access to students who are interested in going to UNR and studying that subject."
It's not all lectures and seminars, however, as most of the colleges put a little fun and games into the activities. One of the highlights of past Discover Your Future events, for instance, is bottle rocket exercise where students not only get to build their own miniature rocket but they also get to launch it.
