The University District Educational Network and Office of Community Engagement are hosting College Days for University District fifth graders. The first was April 27 for Bale Elementary. Wilson students will be on campus May 5, and Franklin is May 6. Friday Fellow students are tour guides talking about college life and career opportunities along the way.

Team Polos is ready for the competition against two other teams. Reward: prizes for remembering careers that match up with degrees.

First stop: Mass comm sophomore Alychia Mills talked about friends she met while living in the apartments. Of course the natural questions — “Do you have a curfew?, Can you paint your room?, Put up pictures?, Do you like living in the dorm?”. “You get to know interesting people like from other countries.” “Cost?” “Get a scholarship, and you can live here free. How do get one? No, not just from sports.”

Next: RA Harold shows them the movie theater — where they were diggin’ video gaming — and a dorm room. Walking through DSC, I hear, “They got Taco Bell!” Outside the library I hear, “I’ve been in there.” She was proud to have been in a math competition as a third grader. Our tour guide points out Dickinson Hall, where you can become a teacher, like their teacher, Mr. Mills, who is one of our counseling master’s students.

Then everyone’s favorite — the Virtual Reality Center.

Ph.D. integrated computing student Erich Peterson, “Can you imagine how this system would be useful in the real world?” Car companies can change the color of a car or size of a window in 3D, med students can look at a human heart, architects have similar technology.

Undergrad Christian Storey demonstrates the “cave.”

Now we hear from a researcher about fluids and air flow in the mechanical engineering lab. He demonstrates this apparatus that calculates ratio to create pressure. Why necessary? For civil engineers to build dams and military to use on submarines for speed and efficiency sound like pretty good reasons. I text my mechanical engineer husband that I’m hearing big words like inertia. Reply, “Don’t tell the kids how many hours we work.”

Another real-world lesson comes from guitar instructor Steve Struthers. “If you want to be a musician, you’re gonna be poor.” But he feels lucky to have always worked teaching guitar and playing jazz gigs. He doesn’t seem to mind 14-hour days, seven days a week. He strums chords from “Smoke on the Water” and “Jingle Bells,” beginning songs he teaches in elective classes, private lessons, or at the Summer Arts Camp. “How long have you been playing guitar?” “Since before the Beatles.” “Who?” They better related to him getting his first guitar on his 10th birthday.

Nursing major Heather wraps up the tour with what you can be when you grow up by studying arts, humanities, or social sciences. So You Think You Can Dance? Being an actor or audio engineer sounded pretty cool too to the wide-eyed youngsters.