EIU Media Relations

EIU Students Lead Sessions at Mattoon High School

Derek Pierce decided to take matters in his own hands.

The freshman finance major at Eastern Illinois University was tired of hearing of his friends overlooking his college. That’s why the Mattoon native decided to organize sessions at Mattoon High School to clear the air.

“Being from Mattoon, I know there are some misconceptions about EIU that I wanted to clear,” Pierce said. “Once you are on (EIU’s) campus, it’s a completely different world.”

This Monday, Pierce will lead another round of sessions to MHS juniors and seniors, where he will chat about his collegiate experience. He will also emphasize that students should consider several factors before making any decision.

The session will also include Luke Young, a freshman finance major and MHS graduate, and EIU Admissions Counselor Brittany Trimble.

Pierce and Young organized a session earlier this fall at Mattoon High School. In the session, Pierce and Young addressed the need for students to decide on a college after considering many factors.

“I think a lot of students in my graduating class made their decision based on the reason they wanted to get away.” Pierce said. “They didn’t even give EIU a chance.”

Instead, Pierce made his decision off the quality of his program and price after researching and comparing schools throughout the state. He also visited the campus and chatted with faculty from the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences. “Students need do their research before they make any decision,” Pierce said.

Young agreed. After researching and visiting campus, he made his decision after a realizing that EIU was the perfect size and a reasonable price for him.

“I think a lot of students think Eastern is just a school you go to because it’s really close to home,” Young said. “It’s a great school for a reasonable price.”