“I really liked the sheets in New York,” Miriam ’12 said, re­calling her memories of College Tour, an optional, annual week-long trip for sophomores and juniors during Spring Break to check out four-year schools beyond California. “In the hotel I was like, wow, I wish I lived here. Those were some incredible sheets.”

College Tour has traditionally been a trip to the East Coast, where girls are given a taste of college life as well as the independence and the freedom that comes with it. However, in an effort to broaden the scope of schools to which students apply, the College Counseling Office is considering offering either a Pacific Northwest or Midwest college tour for students next summer in addi­tion to the spring break tour.

Last spring break, Co-Directors of College Counseling Monica DePriest and Michael Heeter began broaden­ing girls’ horizons by adding the South to the College Tour itinerary, including schools like the University of Mary­land and Duke University. Anika ’13 said she enjoyed the seeing a wide range of schools in such different loca­tions.

“I think it’s great to be exposed to new environments,” Anika said.

The first option proposed by Heeter and DePriest is the Great Lakes Tour to the Midwest, which would consist of a five-day trip from Chicago to Ohio and include schools like Northwestern Uni­versity, the University of Notre Dame and Kenyon College.

In comparison, the Pacific North­west College Tour would be only three days, and the girls would only see schools in Washington and Oregon, such as the University of Puget Sound and Reed College.

Unfortunately, students will only attend one of these tours, because whichever trip attracts the most girls will be offered over the summer.

Additionally, a minimum of twenty girls must sign up for the trip to be cost effective, according to Heeter. By mid-October, the Office will be able to an­nounce which tour will be held.

Currently, there seems to be a wide interest in the Great Lakes Tour due to the unfamiliarity of the location and the ease with which students can travel to the Pacific Northwest on their own.

“I would go to the Midwest just be­cause I’ve never been and it’s complete­ly different [from Los Angeles],” Tara ’12 said. “I feel like you could easily do a tour up the West Coast on your own on a weekend, but travelling to the Midwest takes a substantial amount of time.”

16 members of the Class of 2011 currently attend schools in the Mid­west. Heeter said he thinks the geo­graphical diversity of colleges attended by last year’s graduating class will help broaden many students’ horizons.

“It’s just a matter of opening up people’s minds,” Heeter said. “Schools in New England are becoming so selective that we’re trying to open up girls minds to the thought of trying new things. Last year’s class was very encouraging.”