Eighth grade students and their parents can get a head start on preparing for college by attending Middle School College Night at Schoolcraft College. The event is Thursday, February 17, 2011, from 4 to 7 p.m. in the DiPonio Room of the VisTaTech Center on the college’s main campus in Livonia, Haggerty Road between Six and Seven Mile Roads.

All eighth graders and their parents, or a responsible adult, are invited to visit the exhibits of participating colleges and universities at their own pace and get answers to their questions. Guests will get an idea of the options available in higher education, the strategies for financing college, and the importance of early planning.

Schools invited include: Schoolcraft College, Central Michigan University, College for Creative Studies, Eastern Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, Lawrence Technological University, Madonna University,  Michigan State University, Saginaw Valley State University, University of Michigan-Dearborn, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Wayne State University and Western Michigan University.

There will be information available on career trends, financial aid and scholarships, savings and investment ideas, high school course selection, ideas about getting ready for college, as well as tuition and cost information from universities and colleges in attendance.

The event is free. For more information, contact the Schoolcraft College Admissions and Enrollment Center at 734-462-4426 or http://www.schoolcraft.edu/mscn/.

Schoolcraft College is a public two-year college, offering classes at the Livonia campus, at the Radcliff Center in Garden City and online at schoolcraft.edu.