Planning for college can be a stressful time in any high school student’s life. There are so many decisions that pop up in the process: where to go, what major to choose, and how to pay for everything.
Thankfully, tips on college are never hard to find. Some people like talking to counselors about college decisions and others prefer to go to a more up to date source of information: recent JHS graduates.
Students that move away from home are often afraid about how they will adjust to dorm life. Holden Jones, a 2012 JHS graduate who is currently attending Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, says that dorm life is nothing to be scared of. “I definitely miss having my own room, but I love how social dorm life is. There’s always something going on,” said Jones.
Most college students also note how different the college atmosphere is from high school. Grant Wilson, another 2012 JHS graduate who is currently attending Lincoln Land Community College, said, “Some of the major changes have been the lack of bells, no busy work, which unfortunately means no crosswords, no physical teacher for some online classes, and not knowing everyone.”
Jones also recommends applying early and often. “A general rule is to apply to literally any school that interests you, assuming the application fees are reasonable.” Some schools may also waive application fees for applications that are submitted online. “I wish I would have had all of the necessary items in one place before I started applying,” Wilson said. “Then I could have just gone through and gotten my applications done all at once instead of spending time searching for papers and information that I needed.”
A common fear of high schools students is the thought of college professors. “College professors are a lot more intimidating than high school teachers,” Jones confirmed. “They ask open-ended questions,” Wilson said. “They assign a lot more reading than high school teachers and the answers to questions aren’t as direct. You have to think more to answer questions.”
There are two major paths that high school students follow when they enter college. Some, like Wilson, decide to go to a community college for a few years before enrolling in a four-year school. “I would definitely recommend going to a community college first. It’s a lot cheaper than a four-year university. There are more classes offered online, and while the teachers could be better, most of my teachers have worked at four-year universities before.”
Others, like Jones, think that a four-year school is the way to go. “Definitely a four-year. Even if you’re just taking general education/required classes, you’re still getting experience on campus in your field, such as through student groups or research opportunities.”
Both Jones and Wilson had the same opinion about college: it is a fun opportunity that you will not regret, and it will help your life in the long run.