By Courtney Smith

For the Springfield Times

For some, middle school may seem too early to begin encouraging students to prepare for college.

That was the challenge for a group of five University of Oregon public relations students who set out to influence eighth-graders to begin thinking about the future.

Briggs Middle School eighth-graders visited the University of Oregon last Thursday, Feb. 26, for a college readiness event called "Lock Up Your Future Campus Day."

The five students – seniors Jenna Winkler, Dani Metz, Courtney Smith, Gretchen Brandtjen and Amy Wicks – organized the event as part of a campaign for the annual Bateman Case Study Competition hosted by the Public Relations Students Society of America (PRSSA).

University student volunteers led the Briggs students on tours of the campus, highlighting the dorms, Knight Library and the Student Recreation Center.

The students also participated in an activity called "Map Your Future," which helped them explore the academic and extracurricular options available in high school. Students discovered the different types of colleges at the mini college fair, which featured representatives from Oregon colleges including Oregon State University, Western Oregon University and Portland Community College.

"It was a really big eye-opener for me. I didn't quite realize how close college really was," said Briggs eighth-grader Kayla Wells.

Financial aid was a big focus of the activities. Many students were pleasantly surprised to learn about the amount of "free money" available through grants and scholarships. They learned that especially in this struggling economy, it is never too early to begin preparing for the future.

The event also stressed the importance of good grades and study habits.

"Eighth-graders should start preparing for their futures now because high school is such an important step for getting into college and earning scholarship money," said organizer Dani Metz. "Poor grades during your freshman year will follow you throughout high school."

The PR students felt that an on-campus event would be the best way to communicate with the students.

"Immersing the students in university life is much more effective than simply lecturing to them," Metz said.

"I loved the feeling of being on campus among the college students," said Briggs eighth-grader Tess Lindbloom. "It was cool to walk around campus and think I could be here someday in the future."

"I think our students benefited from an experience that made college seem real and concrete, different from the abstract idea that their parents talk about," said Briggs eighth-grade teacher Mike Harshbarger. "Many of our kids are not sure if they are college-bound, so I think the experience persuaded some of them to think seriously about education beyond high school, especially at the University of Oregon."

This was a first-ever event for Briggs Middle School, as well as for the UO.

"I think the students really liked the experience," said Margaret Stevenson, another Briggs eighth-grade teacher. "I hope Briggs can do this again."