4 minute read
Choosing Colleges
Oh! The Places You’ll Go
Seniors start a new adventure as they enter college.
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By Yuki Wen
This year, Senior Anthony Chang will graduate from AHS. He ran into a few issues while applying to colleges and has a few anxieties regarding the transition to college as well.
“One worry is that the workload will be significantly greater than what it was in high school.” Chang tells us. “College is expensive for no reason”.
In 2021, 59.6% of 16 to 24-year-old high school graduates were enrolled in colleges or universities, down from 62.7 percent the previous year, according to The New York Times. Students are choosing the option of taking a gap year, joining the army, or starting work right away. This is most likely the result of the COVID-19, despite the fact that vaccinations are already available.
Nikki He graduated from high school in 2013 and enrolled at San Jose State University. There weren’t nearly as many resources for college application help in 2013 as there are now. Because there was less technology and fewer individuals to assist with financial matters, it was a burden and a headache for her to gather all of this information on her own.
“I wish I would’ve known how to apply for financial aid, not just FAFSA, but like scholarships too.” said He. “I wish people would’ve told me, with my grades what are my chances of getting into certain schools so I didn’t need to waste money on applying to schools I had no chance of getting into”.
Seniors are in the midst of their college applications. College and Career Consultant, Cece Adams, is sought after by many students. Ms. Adams has been assisting students in AHS for nearly five years, and she has seen many of them graduate and enter college. She has a lot of college counsel to provide, as well as advice on circumstances that students may not be aware of but which she has dealt with.
“My first advice would be to do community service, a job, or an internship prior to you applying for senior year, but grades are also important.” says Adams.
While academics are crucial, there are other factors to consider before applying to a school. You should consider other characteristics of the school before deciding where to apply and wasting all of your money on institutions that aren’t a good fit for you.
“The key is location, location, location, and the reason why I say that is because you can go to a place and if you don’t feel good about it, the vibe isn’t right for you then it may not be the right fit for you.” Adam advises.
WHAT IS YOUR DREAM COLLEGE AND MAJOR?
Senior Brandon Lee
Nikki He has experience with living before and after high school graduation as an SJSU student. He discusses life after college, the differences, and some pointers on how to adjust. He also offers some college survival tips to graduating seniors.
“I think the one thing about high school vs college is that in college you really have to be on top of it yourself because nobody’s gonna tell you what’s due tomorrow, and a lot of the assignments are given to you in the syllabus given at the beginning of the semester, and nobody’s going to remind you.” He advises. “First word of wisdom is to get a planner, definitely get a planner, do not schedule yourself highly on online classes, I would recommend no more than two online classes per semester, ideally only do one when you need to”.
While most students are concerned about their financial situation Senior counselor Shannon Bode is there to help. Bode has been working with AHS for two years and is a valued senior counselor. She, along with Adams, aids seniors with their college applications. She assists students during and after the application process, assisting them not only with college applications but also with financial aid.
“I would suggest they do some research, I think it’s really important to choose a major that is in the career path they are interested in, and take look at what your strengths are, what your talents are, what your dreams are, what you interests are, consider all of those things when you’re thinking about what to study.” says Bode. “To make or save money, you can always work and put money aside, you can apply for scholarships and we have a lot of money coming through San Lorenzo Unified that students are eligible to apply for”.
Finally, the AHS college and career consultant and counselor has some words of advice for our graduating seniors.
“It’s not the end of the world if you don’t get accepted to the school of your dreams, and I think that sometimes things are meant to be the way they come about, so roll with what you got and be flexible, and whatever opportunities come to you take advantage of them.” said Adam.
“I want you to go into the world and do what you love, like do something that makes your heart happy and the money will come.” Bode says.
Senior Moryll Rodriguez
