KOTA Territory NewsRapid City high schoolers tour local colleges

Rapid City high schoolers tour local colleges

Some KOTA Territory high school students go beyond brochures and applications Tuesday to get a feel for higher education.

More than 300 Rapid City students participated in the fifth annual College For a Day program.

This venture allows students to participate in hands-on activities, and prepares them for what college will offer.

At the School of Mines, 25 students explored what a career in chemistry would be like, as professors gave them a tour of the laboratories.

Organizers say thinking about higher education early is a sign of the times.

"By the time they get to this high school age, they really are starting to do career exploration in ways people didn't in the past. You have sophomores that are considering chemical engineering, which is interesting because 20 years ago, we didn't get to that point," said Nancy Anderson Smith, Director of Youth Programs at the School of Mines.

Students signed up through coordinators from their high schools, and kids from all grades could participate.