SAN MARCOS ---- A path to higher education was outlined for several hundred high school kids and their parents packed into the Mission Hills High School gymnasium Thursday for San Marcos Unified School District's College Expo.

The free evening event drew representatives from 78 public and private universities and colleges from all areas of the country, up from only 28 schools last year.

"Rutgers, Ma," said 17-year old Daniel Tatge, a senior at Mission Hills, as he led his mother, Karen Tatge, towards the New Jersey university's table in the Grizzly Pavilion Gym.

Daniel said that things are "coming down to the wire" for him, and that he was trying to find as much information as he could.

His mother said she was encouraging him to go the cheaper, easier route of attending a community college and then transferring to a four-year school, but that she wants him to explore all his options. She also said she was pleasantly surprised to see "so many schools from back East."

Anna Lopez and Lupita Zepeda, both juniors at San Marcos High School, chatted as they made their way with hundreds of other students from the informational session in Redwood Hall to the gymnasium where recruiters awaited.

"We learned all about the A through G requirements," said Anna. "Now we get to go meet people from the different schools."

The pair said they just learned of the expo last month, and added they couldn't miss it because "they really want to understand what's available." They rode a school bus to the event with "about a hundred other kids" as part of through the Gear Up partnership program.

Gear Up bused in students from San Marcos High as well as special guests, about 150 in all, from the Rancho Buena Vista and Vista high schools in Vista.

"There are so many to choose from, so many roads to take," said Ryan Wirt, a sophomore at Rancho Buena Vista. "On one hand I want to narrow it down, but I also want to see just how far I can go."

New additions to the expo this year included such prestigious universities as Yale, Princeton, Notre Dame and UC Berkeley. On hand were also several other state public universities.

Cheryl Parsons, a college and career counselor at Mission Hills who helped organize the event, said she was thrilled to see the record turnout of recruiters and students.

She attributed the growing success of the event to a number of factors including the district's improved test scores and its decision to limit the focus to just a college fair, eliminating the typical informational "break out sessions" from years past. She said she also appreciated the hard work of Gear Up, and that it did an exceptional job of getting "every teacher announcing it."

"I saw the posters," said Maurice Crozier, a sophomore at San Marcos High, who was stopping at every table to see which school had the "best engineering and architecture" program. He said his main job is to keep his grade point average "the highest I can get it" and that his father Christopher Crozier was "asking all the questions" of recruiters.

"I remind him on a daily basis how important an education is and how much more opportunity it allows you ---- especially during an economic downturn," said Christopher Crozier.

"Nowadays, with the budget crisis in the state students have to be college savvy," said Calvin One Deer, the director of Gear Up at Palomar College. "This event lets the students and parents in the local community realize they can go anywhere they want. They just need the information and a chance to talk face to face with the schools each year."

The bulk of the students in attendance were sophomores and juniors, with a sprinkling of freshman. But the most frantic amongst them were the seniors, who are racing against the clock to meet deadlines and fulfill requirements.

"It's very stressful," said 16-year-old senior Elizabeth Rivas of Rancho Buena Vista. "I just have to stay organized and make the right decision, and tonight really will go a long way in helping me do that."