Making decisions about whether to continue education after high school doesn't begin when a youngsters is a junior. Indeed, students and their parents should begin planning for higher education as early as eighth grade.

To help young people and their parents make these decisions, Plainedge High School and Farmingdale High School will again host their College Night April 29, 7:30-9:30 p.m. This year's event will be held at Plainedge High School, 241 Wyngate Drive, North Massapequa. Students in eighth through 11th grades and their parents, as well as neighboring schools, including private and parochial schools, are welcome. The program will begin with a brief introduction in the auditorium, panel discussions at three different sites and a college fair in the gymnasium.

The college process can include such hurdles as building a strong profile, choosing a college, completing the application and applying for financial aid. College Night is important for parents and their children because it answers some of those nagging questions: How can high school students improve their chance of admission to selective colleges? Does early decision give students an edge? Are SAT scores as important now as they were in the past?

Representatives from more than 30 institutions are expected to attend, including Concordia College, C.W. Post, Drew University, Duke University, Five Towns College, Fordham University, Gettysburg College, Hofstra University, Iona College, Lafayette College, Loyola College, Molloy College, Nazareth College, New York Institute of Technology, Pace University, Polytechnic University, Sacred Heart University, Siena College, Southampton College, St. John's University, University of Rhode Island, Utica College, the United States Navy and US Coast Guard Academy and representatives from the SUNY System, including Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Cobleskill, Geneseo, Maritime, Oneonta, Purchase and Stony Brook.