IDEAS Academy juniors learned about attending UW-Sheboygan Tuesday, Dec. 15, when Admissions Recruiter Milissa Kloida came to speak. She focused on the “big decisions” young people need to make about living, finances, and career.

The recruiter for all the 2-year UW Schools, Kloida described advantages of starting college at a 2-year campus. She pointed out how students could either stay close to home or move elsewhere, and displayed a state map of school locations. She showed how these schools compare with private and 4-year universities in cost, class sizes, and opportunities.

“About $5,000 a year at UW-Sheboygan pays for tuition and all books and fees,” Kloida said during her powerpoint presentation. A tuition table listed what students could expect to pay at various public and private schools. Other advantages include small class sizes, easy transfer of credits to other UW and partner schools, and coming away from a 2-year college with an Associate Degree.

Students asked many questions throughout the presentation and were awarded with cool red sunglasses. One of the answers informed them that there are no guidelines for GPA or ACT scores to enroll at UW-Sheboygan.

“If you have a low GPA or a low ACT score, you may have to take some low-level classes before you can start college-level classes,” Kloida said, “so it might take a little longer before you can actually start your degree.” She explained that a goal of the University is to provide opportunities for everyone in the community to seek a college education.

Kloida stressed the financial advantage of attending a 2-year college and finishing “gen eds”, or general education credits, before declaring a major and moving on to a 4-year college and higher tuition.

“If you want to end up with a degree from a UW school, we want you to start at a UW school,” Kloida said.

After the presentation Kloida mentioned that UW-Sheboygan offers numerous scholarships, but some years no one applies for them.

Students came away with new information to use as they plan their futures.

“I knew a lot about UW-Sheboygan already because it’s a school I plan to attend,” junior Rayne O’Muineachan said. “ It was nice to hear about it again to confirm what I knew and to know I can transfer my credits to UWM if I choose to pursue dance.”

“I never really considered a 2-year [college], but now I think it’s pretty cool to have 2 years to decide what I really want to do after high school,” junior Paxton Allison said.

Senior Karyn Attipoe, who is currently working on her college applications, said she was glad she attended the presentation. “I learned what tuition is, what their financial aid is, and that there’s guaranteed acceptance to other UW Schools,” she said.

Enrollment applications for UW-Sheboygan open September 15, 2016.