On Wed. Oct. 26, over 250 Bonita Vista High (BVH) seniors gathered in the gymnasium for a presentation about the San Diego State University (SDSU) admissions process and the Compact for Success program. BVH counselors and SDSU representatives ushered students to their seats and passed out admissions handbooks as students patiently waited for the presentation to begin. 

“This is definitely a bigger crowd. I had a lot more questions here and this is also a Compact [for Success] school so [I had] a lot more things to dive into in regards to the information,” SDSU Admissions Counselor Samantha Garcia said. 

BVH is the second school Garcia visited on that Wednesday. The presentation began at 10:50 a.m. and BVH seniors who qualified for the Compact for Success program were permitted to leave their third period class to attend. They received call slips in their first period, excusing them for the presentation. Over the intercom, there were various reminders to ensure students didn’t forget the presentation was taking place in the gym. 

“It definitely cleared up some questions. It was helpful to have someone actually from [SDSU] to directly be able to ask questions to,” senior Jaynne Quezada said. 

Compact for Success is a joint program between SDSU and the Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) designed to aid SUHSD students in attending SDSU. As long as SUHSD seniors meet the program’s requirements, they receive guaranteed admission to SDSU. 

“Sweetwater was the largest serving district in San Diego–in the area of San Diego State University–and it was also predominantly a low income first generation [school with] students of color,” Garcia said. “In order to make things equitable, they set forth  [the program] as a safety net so they [students] would get guaranteed admission into San Diego State.”

Garcia opens the presentation by introducing seniors to the educational opportunities at SDSU. She emphasizes that SDSU allows students to pursue their interests and offers diverse majors. Then she explains the admissions requirements and deadlines for the application.

“When they were talking about all the different majors they offer you, like pre-med or any type of program, it sounded like [SDSU] is good quality education,” Quezada said. 

In addition to educational opportunities, the presentation covered SDSU student life, transportation access and student housing. This gave senior Jose Gonzalez a new perspective about the services SDSU provides to their students. 

“I still haven’t gone to visit the campus, but I don’t really know much about [SDSU] itself. This made me see [SDSU] in a better way than I did before,” senior Jose Gonzalez said. 

The presentation ended with an extensive explanation of the Compact for Success requirements seniors needed to meet in order to qualify for the program. This includes getting a B or higher for both 12th grade English and math, GPA requirements and the grades students needed for all their California State University mandated A-G classes by the end of their senior year. 

“I think it’s very useful because with my GPA, I don’t think I’d get into SDSU without Compact for Success. It gives me a sense of security,” Gonzalez said. “I don’t need to be thrown in there with everyone else and be super competitive.”  

Both Gonzalez and Quezada plan on attending a four year college. The presentation aided students in deciding their post-high school plans, reassuring them that they have options for college. This is especially helpful as college admissions become more competitive. 

“I definitely plan to take advantage of the Congress for Success program. I think that added security, knowing that I can for sure get in [has] definitely helped me out a lot,” Gonzalez said. “It made me realize that SDSU is probably one of my more likely destinations for college, which is nice.”