On Wednesday, Sept. 14, and Thursday, Sept. 15, colleges from around the nation gathered in the Malloy Commons for the annual Jesuit Excellence Tour (JET) and the Regional Admission Counselors of California (RACC) college fairs to reach out to Loyola students.

The Jesuit Excellence Tour is comprised of Jesuit universities from across the country including schools such as Gonzaga, Marquette and Loyola University of Chicago. Loyola is one of the few schools to be visited during the school day by JET. These schools have similar core values to those of Loyola. The Jesuit tradition is consistent throughout these institutions, focusing on an academically distinguished education with a religious foundation.

The Regional Admission Counselors of California is made up of representatives from various types of universities from outside California. The objective of RACC is to encourage students from California to pursue paths and opportunities outside of their home state.

Every year, representatives from a wide variety of universities visit Loyola on various days, sharing information about their respective schools to Loyola students. These delegates represent either a Jesuit institution on the JET tour or colleges outside of California on the RACC tour.

Sophomore Scott Kase answered, “I learned a lot during the event. Looking through all of the colleges helped me envision what schools I want to go to.”

Senior Henry Chase answered, “I thought it was cool. I got to see some schools that I hadn’t thought about before. It definitely made me think more about the process.”

Loyola counselor Dele Varga explains why these tours come to Loyola every year: “It’s a way for them to get a large audience. We have developed a relationship with them that allows them to come every year. They come to Loyola specifically because we are a Jesuit school.”