FEATURE
omy program. It’s right in Seattle, and it has a good game day [for cheerleading], so I was like, ‘Oh, this is really nice,’” Vickers explained. Before she narrowed her choices down, Vickers shared that she would use the location feature on Instagram to see photos of dorm rooms and the campus. Though virtual tours of dorm rooms are available, real photos of the spaces can help give a better representation of what the room is like. Senior Calvin Blohm found that it was helpful to see the campus in person to get a feel for the school -- something he couldn’t get through photos or virtual tours. “I was lucky enough this year, all of the colleges that were on my final list had modified guided tours,” Blohm said. “Those are definitely important because when you’re
The College and Career Resource Center (CRC) celebrated LHS seniors’ commitment to a college, the military, a gap year or the workforce by holding a Senior Decision Day event during the school days of Thursday, May 1, and Friday, May 2.
actually on the campus, you can actually see...how people are spending their time.” When Blohm first started applying to schools, he had three main criteria that he looked for: a location in a city, a good business program (since that’s what he plans to study) and a Big 10 school. The University of Minnesota checked all those boxes for him. Blohm’s only regret in his college process is that he didn’t start it sooner. He shared that though he made a list of schools he wanted to apply to early on in the process, he wished that he had started filling out applications and writing essays earlier. Similarly, even though senior Leenah Ehsan has been looking at colleges all throughout high school, she still wishes she had started the application process earlier. She ultimately decided to attend Lake Forest College, but that school wasn’t on her radar until about two months ago. Ehsan plans to commute from home, so distance was one of the most important factors in her decision. Ehsan also liked the size of Lake Forest College, since it’s similar to the size of Libertyville High School. Another factor she considered was the quality of the program she’s interested in. She’s impressed by the school’s health professional program, and she plans to pursue a career in the medical field. While a school’s academic reputation is often a factor for students in the decision process, Ms. Belstra advised against considering it at all. “I always try to take the prestige factor out as best I can so that students are really looking at what’s best for [them]. Not what’s best for the bumper of [their] car...that doesn’t matter. Nobody cares,” she said. She also encouraged students to take a step back from looking at the basic, controllable factors such as distance and programs and instead look at themselves. It’s important to ask questions like, “Who am I as a person?,” “What’s important to me?,” “What kind of learner am I?,” “How would I benefit from a smaller school as opposed to a larger school?” These questions, Ms. Belstra explained, will help a student find a school that best fits their needs. MAY 2021 23
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