College Fly-Ins

Palouse Pathways Scholar Audrey Tan, a senior at Pullman High School, shares information about a great FREE way to visit colleges, the College Fly-In.

First of all, what are fly-ins? 

Fly-ins are an opportunity to visit colleges prior to application where they “fly-in” high school students to experience life at their college. Typically, students will only get to visit a college after they’ve been admitted on the respective admitted students day. However, this can often feel too late for many students. How a college may look on paper may not encapsulate what life at the college is truly like, leading to misplaced expectations. Instead, it’s always good to visit universities firsthand before making a decision on whether or not you’d like to pour in the effort to apply. Fly-ins are usually provided by the university and they typically include a day or two of activities. The especially attractive aspect of fly-ins is that oftentimes they are fully covered by the institution. That means transportations costs, room and board, food, and sometimes even merchandise are provided by the university!

Why should you go and how to make the most of a fly-in? 

Fly-ins are not only a great opportunity to get a glimpse into what life as a student at a university is like but they’re also a wonderful place to get application questions answered. Typically, fly-ins are run by the admissions officers so these will be the people reading your applications. You can jot down some questions you may have before or during the fly-ins and get them answered with the assurance that the information provided is trustworthy. While at a fly-in, you’ll also get to interact with various college students who can help answer questions like “what did you do in high school to get you admitted?” Furthermore, fly-ins help introduce you to students all over the country (and sometimes all over the world!) who you already share one thing in common with. It’s a good idea to make a group chat and remain connected even after the fly-in. Utilize your resources and find a community that supports you! Lastly, it’s also good to thank the admissions officers after the fly-in and remain in contact. Once again, utilize them as a resource to get any application questions answered down the line. Do remember to always be courteous and don’t go overboard. 

How to get a fly-in opportunity?
Palouse Pathways is a fantastic resource so be sure to keep an eye out for any fly-ins posted. Some colleges may also email you about opportunities. The website Appily lists many college fly-ins. Each university has different dates for their fly-ins so be sure to mark your calendars and be mindful of when everything is due. You can also search for fly-ins online if you have a particular university you’d like to visit. Some fly-ins are available for all high school students while others are limited by grade so be sure to do your research as soon as possible so you don’t miss out on any opportunities. Lastly, lean on the community around you. Ask around about the various fly-ins people have attended or let your counselors know that you’re interested. Fly-ins are typically application-based and will usually have an essay portion. Remember, many fly-in criteria may be different so don’t feel bad if you don’t get a fly-in opportunity. There’s a ton out there! Also, I recommend opening your mind up a bit, you may discover some hidden gems that you didn’t even think of before! Happy flying!

Visiting Colleges

Palouse Pathways Scholar Jack Carper, Pullman High School Class of 2026, shares his thoughts and tips for visiting colleges.

How can you make the most out of a college visit?

First, always make sure to research the college beforehand. Learn more about what they offer, and see what programs you would be most interested in. For example, if you want to go into engineering, look more into the specific department to understand what the college experience would look like for you at that school; try to explore the department you are interested in while on the campus so you can get a better feel for it.

Pro tip: Many colleges offer tours or informational sessions about their specific programs, such as their engineering or honors programs, so definitely sign up for those if you are interested!

Also, make sure to always take a guided tour to be able to get a more in-depth look at the school and interact with a student. If you know someone who attends the school, reach out to them and see if they would be able to show you around.

Make sure to have questions prepared about the school based on your research beforehand to ask the tour guide. These should be questions about the specific college/university, about the programs or student life and such, and they should be specific and thoughtful. If Google can answer the question for you, it’s a bad question.

Finally, always tour colleges while they are in session. I understand it may be easier to go during a school break so you don’t miss time in school, but so much of the college tour is about your interactions and experience on the campus. The whole idea is to learn more about the school and envision yourself attending it. You want to be able to gauge the atmosphere: what sort of students attend this school, what is the general vibe (studious, more of a party school, etc), and most importantly, how do you FEEL about the school. What is your gut reaction? If you don’t feel positively about the school and view it as somewhere you could fit in and be happy, then it isn’t the school for you, and you cannot get a true impression of the school if the students are all away. And of course, have fun!

What was your most memorable College Visit?

My most memorable college visit was my visit to the University of Arizona. Specifically, I was impressed by the Honors program tour. An Honors program is a wonderful way to take a large school and turn it into a smaller community, allowing you to form close bonds with other driven students while also being able to take advantage of all the opportunities of a large campus. The University of Arizona, for example, has more than 45,000 students, but its honors college has just over 4,000, less than 10% of their total enrollment. I remember being extremely impressed by the structure and format of the Honors program offered at the University of Arizona–there was a dorm reserved exclusively for Honors college students, tucked away from the main campus but still well within walking distance, with special, smaller Honors classes offered on the ground floor of the dorm building! The tour allowed me to get a better understanding of what an Honors program could look like, and it allowed me to see myself attending a large school but still feeling connected to my peers.

Meet the Team: Gulsima Young

Palouse Pathways Operations Specialist

The work we do for students and families at Palouse Pathways is supported by a small but mighty team of staff and volunteers. One of those dedicated staffers is Gulsima Young, Palouse Pathways Operations Specialist. Here’s a Q&A with Gulsima to help you get to know her better!

First, a little background: Gulsima grew up in Pullman and enjoyed being involved with Palouse Pathways throughout high school. She attended the University of Washington, where she earned degrees in Environmental Studies and Informatics. She also worked for the UW Campus Sustainability Fund, supporting student-led initiatives focused on environmental justice, social equity, and community resilience. After graduating, she received a Master of Public Affairs from Brown University. 

What led you to get involved with Palouse Pathways as a high school student in Pullman?

I got involved with Palouse Pathways to learn about the range of college and financial aid options. Peggy [Jenkins] made the college search process enjoyable, and I liked how Palouse Pathways was focused on helping students find the right fit for them and their interests. I enjoyed attending the Returning Student Forum, scholarship and financial aid workshops, and SAT study groups.

What was the most valuable thing you learned from your experience with Palouse Pathways?

Although choosing your post-high school path is a big decision, you will have fantastic experiences, meet wonderful people, and learn so much no matter what you end up doing.

Tell us a little bit about the work you do at Palouse Pathways now.

As the Operations Specialist, I plan and host events, support the Scholars Program, and coordinate Launch Whitman – our newest effort to expand career and college preparation access.

What is Launch Whitman?

Launch Whitman is an initiative supported by LaunchNW, a Spokane-based organization that brings together community partners to ensure every child has access to career training. Launch Whitman works to expand support for higher education access and career preparation in Whitman County through assessing local needs, implementing pathways for progress, and building a thriving network of community organizations and leaders.

What advice do you have about figuring out which colleges would be the best fit for you?

The College Exploration Courses offered by Palouse Pathways provide excellent guidance for searching for colleges that fit your interests and needs. A great way to begin your college search is to create a list of what factors are most important to you (financial aid, school size, distance from home, major options, extracurriculars, sports, etc).

Tell us about a favorite college class and/or professor.

At UW, I took a public policy course titled Ethics, Power, and Leadership. It was a small, discussion-based class where we did lots of collaborative work. We learned how to assess policies and public programs, conduct stakeholder analysis, and develop recommendations to prioritize and enhance equity. The professor, Dr. Sebawit Bishu, was incredible and greatly expanded my understanding of policymaking and cultivating structural change.

Do you have any hobbies or special interests?

I really like cooking, reading, spending time outside, and listening to music.

Favorite band or musician?

Recently, I have been enjoying The Marías, Noname, Big Thief, and The Altons.

What’s a fun fact not many people know about you?

I am from Kazakhstan, and I hope to start learning Kazakh soon.

Thanks very much for all you do for Palouse Pathways, Gulsima! Or shall we say, “Ulken rakhmet!”

Palouse Pathways Scholars Weigh In on New Year's Resolutions

New Year's resolutions: Yay or Nay? 

New Year’s is a great time to make resolutions for positive change in the year ahead—or is it? We asked our scholars to weigh in on whether they like to set New Year’s resolutions and believe they’re an effective way to build successful habits, and the results are in. One replied with an unequivocal “Yes!” A few gave some version of “Yes, with caveats.” And nearly two-thirds answered with a resounding “Nope!” 

Good things about New Year’s resolutions

The beginning of a new year is a good time to make goals. They feel like a new start. They give people a reason to reflect on their life and what might need to be changed about it. They can help people adhere to a specific long-term goal. 

Arguments against resolutions (There were a lot of these!)

They typically don’t last or create significant change. This is often because people set goals that are unreasonable and unsustainable. 

They might work for a couple of weeks, then you burn out and feel disappointed in yourself. As one Scholar noted, this is why fitness gyms make a lot of money in January, then revenue decreases in February when people give up and cancel their memberships!

Some other insightful observations about the pitfalls of resolutions:

• Many people jump at the opportunity to make as many resolutions as they can, which overwhelms the mind. Then they have too much to do, so they do nothing.

• New Year’s resolutions encourage less fleshed-out goals, with people picking something that they want to accomplish without actually laying out the necessary steps.

• Resolutions are a setup for failure if they’re not fueled by whole-hearted passion. 

So what does make for successful goal-setting and positive change? 

You all shared some great ideas, full of wisdom from your own life experiences.. 

• Making goals that are realistic, achievable, and maintainable. 

• Starting with smaller goals and building up to larger ones.

• Setting goals, both short-term and long-term, throughout the year, with specific actionable steps to achieve them.

• Making goals at the start of the school year. 

• Building successful habits through consistency, day in and day out, even when you don’t feel like it. (Especially when you don’t feel like it!)

• Writing down your short-term goals when you’re busy, so you don’t lose sight of them.  

• Setting up an incentive (like a gaming session or hanging out with a friend) as motivation to get your goal-work done. 

• Instead of setting yourself up for failure and procrastination, find a simple change you can make today, in the present moment.  

One thing’s for sure: Palouse Pathways Scholars know a thing or two about successful goal-setting! And that’s a reason for optimism as we begin a new year together.

(Speaking of together, did anyone mention how helpful it can be to have friends who support you and keep you accountable to your goals? Let’s try to cheer each other on and help bring out the best in each other this year—starting today!)