VIDALIA — Hundreds of high school seniors from around Concordia Parish crowded into the Vidalia Conference and Convention Center Wednesday in hopes of figuring out what they will do in life after high school.

It was the Concordia Parish school district’s College Day, and recruiters from more than 20 colleges, universities, military branches and vocational schools were present.

“We were just hoping to give everybody an opportunity to see a number of different colleges and universities,” Concordia Parish Academic Director Paul Nelson said. “It gives everybody an opportunity to get a picture of what a lot of different schools offer. Some students already have their minds made up, but others don’t have an idea.”

For Monterey senior Casey Nations, 17, after meeting with representatives from the school, his inner debate between Louisiana Tech and Northwestern State Universities seemed to be tilting toward Northwestern.

“I haven’t decided, but today helped me a little,” he said.

His classmate, Dustin Beard, 17, said he too is debating between those schools, but he’s still unsure of what school he wants to attend to study either architecture or robotics engineering.

“I have friends who go to both schools, so I’ll talk to them some more before I make up my mind,” Beard said.

But Lucien Bean, 18, also a Monterey senior, already knows what he wants to do, at least in part. Bean joined the U.S. Army Reserve’s future soldier earlier in the year, and already completed boot camp.

When he’s serving his reserve duties, he’s a cook, and Bean said he found one school that offered him a chance to attend culinary school — Nicholls State University.

“I wanted to go to a northern school, but Nicholls is only three hours away, so it’s not bad,” Bean said.

The school district will follow up college day with a financial aid night at 6 p.m. Oct. 29, where representatives from the Louisiana office of financial aid will be present to discuss the TOPS program and other financial opportunities for students, Nelson said.