Filling every seat and answering every question, College Unplugged was a hit this year.
College Unplugged is the event held in the theatre that has a panel of returning alumni. They answer questions any students have, and tell the truth about the college they are attending. With no filter.
¨I call it unplugged because, in the Fall, we have all these colleges that came to visit our campus; we had 50 different colleges that visited us. . . and part of their big role is to recruit students, and to show what a great college they’re representing. I wanted students to come back who said, ‘this is my real experience, I’m not hired by the college to come and tell you something. I’m just gonna share with you the way it really is,¨ said Ann Bergen, the school’s academic advisor and proud founder of college unplugged.
The panel consisted of: Abryana Young from CSI San Marcos, Vishant Kumar from UC Berkeley, Jessica Martinez from Irvine Valley College, James Brown from Azusa Pacific University, Sarah Kantari who began at Saddleback and then transferred to UC Irvine, and Jameson Johnson from Northeastern University.
As first-time attendees, all of the juniors displayed outstanding feedback and interest throughout the entire event. The panelist responded with an equal level of engagement. Each of them had many different views that sparked conversation and laughter. Even the opening question from Bergen, ¨what do you like about your life in college now?¨ provoked a variety of answers.
“The relationships you make; you get to do life with a bunch of people, and I’ve made some of the best friends I’ll ever make,” said Brown.
The alumni also found the diversity among students interesting, they also recalled having an easy time talking to new people.
¨One of the nicest things I love about my school is just the flexibility to choose classes, professors, what time I want to take a class. . . for me I chose to have all my days end at noon,¨ said Johnson.
Life in college allows for more freedom when compared to high school. Alumni said it was liberating to chose the time they took their classes as well as choosing what they’re eating for dinner.
2015’s turnout for college unplugged was the largest they’ve ever had; they were forced to turn away students since the entire theatre was filled to the brim. It was an exciting adventure that many students will love to experience next year.