By Harshit Bhatt ‘28
Conestoga Valley High School celebrated a major milestone, hosting the 50th Annual College Night on November 3, 2025, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. This long-standing tradition highlighted CVHS’s commitment to preparing students for life after high school. This event brings together students, parents, and representatives from over 125 colleges, nursing schools, technical and business schools, as well as various military branches.
The event was structured to provide maximum benefit, with students and parents gathering in the CVHS gym and classrooms to explore information tables and get their questions answered by multiple representatives of different schools. Adding to the guidance, sophomores and juniors attended sessions on “How to Choose a College,” while families also benefited from two financial aid sessions to learn about scholarship and funding options.
Student attendee Shamil Issayev ‘28 felt disappointed with an aspect of the event. This was not because of the administration or the 124 colleges present, but due to the absence of the Ivy League College, Princeton University. Representatives from Princeton University were scheduled to attend, but on the night of the event the school’s tables were empty.
Student attendee, Clementine Johnson ‘28, was motivated to attend College Night because she wanted to know ahead of time which colleges she should be looking into and which ones offered specific majors and minors. For her, the most helpful part was learning about a bunch of colleges she had never heard of before, which really helped to broaden her perspective on post-secondary options.
The University of New England stood out to Johnson the most, considering the admissions counselor really “sold their programs.” The conversations helped her narrow down what she wants to pursue after high school. She originally wanted to go into nursing, and the event showed her the benefit of each school’s nursing programs.
Johnson asked the representatives critical questions, like why their school was a good fit, what the social and educational environment was like, and how the nursing program looked. The event excited Johnson and prepared for the future. She would definitely recommend it to other students, describing it as “very helpful.”
Thomas McCrea, a Millersville student-teacher at CV, participated in giving students insight about college from current college seniors; however, he described his experience as underwhelming, noting that there were “not nearly as many students” as he expected, and only about 8 students visited his table.
McCrea noted that most students who visited his table were with their parents, who seemed more interested than the students. He described the students as shy and unsure what questions to ask. The most common questions he received were about scholarships or clubs, with few inquiries about dorm life or dining situations. He hoped students walked away knowing that his college offers lots of opportunities and clubs.
McCrea stressed the importance of starting the college search “the earlier the better” and advised students to be honest and enthusiastic, in order to make a strong impression on admission counselors.
Yaksh Pandya ‘26, a Link Crew leader and CV student, chose to volunteer at College Night because he enjoys working with people. His job included greeting attendees, assisting those who needed help, and informing college counselors about the refreshment area. Pandya shared that the most interesting part of helping out was seeing the behind-the-scenes work, such as the refreshment setup and getting to meet the representatives in-person. The most challenging part, Pandya said, was making sure all the college representatives arrived on time, as several were late to the event which started exactly at 7 PM.
Pandya “felt good seeing such a big turnout,” with around 86 colleges attending, which made the event feel successful. Having enjoyed seeing the behind-the-scenes and having a great time, Pandya would definitely volunteer again for future College Nights.
This year’s 50th Annual College Night was a true showcase of CV’s ongoing dedication to providing guidance and opportunity for the next generation of students exploring their post-high school paths.