By Ron R.
As students get ready to apply for colleges, there are a tremendous amount of decisions which need to be made before actually arriving on campus.
In today’s society, the majority of teens feel obligated to attend college because of how common it is to depart from high school and go straight to a high-end university. The process of applying for colleges creates an abundance of stress and confusion which can easily be avoided if the decision is made intellectually. But putting all emotion aside and maintaining full focus on getting into the school which is best fit for your aspiring career can be very difficult.
College takes up such a substantial portion of a student’s life that making this decision is crucial. Students search for schools which will help them find the career that they would like to have for the rest of their lives. Deciding which major the student wants creates added stress to the already demanding high school curriculum.
Teenage life is filled with new experiences and curiosity, which creates a lot of distractions for students getting ready to attend college. The stress students endure throughout high school is a direct result of the struggle to balance academics while maintaining a social life. This added commotion during the pressure to make an imperative decision creates a dilemma. Not only does the decision have to be made about which geographical area the student would like to attend, but making application deadlines, writing college essays, and attaining letters of recommendations is nerve wracking.
As sophomores enter their junior year, they see seniors getting acceptance letters from their schools of choice. They start to feel pressured to choose a school for themselves. Although it is healthy to have a dream, the amount of stress brought upon the students to achieve their goals is immense. Balancing a high school life while keeping up with the résumé-boosting extracurricular activities can be very difficult to cope with. Once a student finds a college that they like they become motivated to achieve academically.
When I started to apply for schools, I had my mind set on one particular university which I was very interested in attending. I was so sure that I would be accepted that I only applied to one safety school which I wouldn’t have been too thrilled to attend. After a couple of weeks the acceptance letter arrived from my safety school. My confidence rose as I awaited the decision from my school of choice. The four weeks were up… I checked the status of my application online and to my surprise saw two devastating words: “Admission denied.” My world shook as I scrambled to find local schools to attend.
After coming to terms with my situation, I began to realize how unimportant it is to attend a high-end university during the first semester of college.
Very successful people have made a living and a name of themselves without having to pay any sizeable amount of money. Renowned Academy Award-winning actor and producer Clint Eastwood attended Los Angeles Community College in Los Angeles before he became such a powerful name in the film industry. Jim Lehrer, famous broadcast journalist during the 1970s, who appeared on MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour, attended Victoria College in Victoria, Texas for two years before he got big in broadcasting. Finally, Gaddi Vasquez, director of the Peace Corps, attended Santa Ana College, in Santa Ana, California, before achieving his title. These people have made significant impacts on our society today, and followed through with their goals without going into financial debt.
A lot of colleges’ academic environment doesn’t match the physical appearance. What looks great on the outside–beautifully cut green grass, newly paved sidewalks, and big buildings –doesn’t match up to the small percentage of people leaving these colleges with careers in line. A comparison of the education that professors provide at “high-end” schools such as Seton Hall or Widener University with various community colleges shows the education quality difference doesn’t match up to the financial dissimilarity.
Through the process of choosing a college, I have learned how important it is to look at what colleges really have to offer rather than looking at the general appearance and size of the school. I have also learned to set priorities on which schools I would like to attend with a secure backup plan and to find out the percentage of students who leave the schools with their career of choice and a degree.
