‘They seem like much more important decisions that I’ve ever had to make before, and you have to make them so quickly.’
By: Michael Arges
“What will I do after high school?”
According to the Schools Report Card for HHS, 90 percent of the graduating Class of 1999 is pursuing college educations. Of the remaining 10 percent, about 4 percent has chosen other educational opportunities, such as technical or trade schools, while 2 percent went into full-time work.
So answering the question about what to do after high school can be “a little scary,” especially since, for many students, it is the first really important decision they have to make, said Hightstown High senior Becky Kramer.
“They’re such huge decisions. They seem like much more important decisions that I’ve ever had to make before, and you have to make them so quickly,” she added.
And important it is — decisions made can involvement commitments of four or five years and many thousands of dollars. A sampling of the plans of college-bound Hightstown High School seniors suggested that these students put some very serious, careful thinking into their decision. But chance meetings along the way also seemed to have their place in the process.
Almost all the students interviewed indicated the size of the school was an important factor in their decision. For example, although still undecided about college, Becky seemed sure that she wants to attend a relatively small college or university. And both of her top two choices are small —one has 5,500 students while the other only has 1,600 students.
“But there’s a very big difference between 5,500 small and 1,600 small,” Becky explained.
Becky has been debating with her friends about whether or not a student has more opportunities at a small school or at a large one. One friend argued that at a school with 20,000 students there are more clubs and activities, and also more alums of the school available to provide assistance to young graduates. Becky, however, greatly values the “really small” classes at one of the schools she’s considering, and she was profoundly impressed that the professor knew everyone’s name by the second class meeting. Becky said she likes the idea of being where she knows just about everyone she meets in the dining hall or walking around campus.
On the other hand, Stephanie Hirschorn chose the University of Wisconsin because she wanted “a larger school and a school with school spirit.” She also felt that Wisconsin would provide “the most opportunities.”
The different preferences about school size seem to illustrate a point emphasized by Hightstown High Salutatorian Bharathi Sundiran: that choosing a college is a very individual decision. Each student will have a different set of important factors to weigh in making a decision. Bharathi cautioned younger students against picking a school based only on reputation. Instead, she advises, “pick a school that you really feel like you would enjoy.”
To find the schools that best fit her, she did a lot of research using guides to colleges — especially those like Princeton Review’s college guide that include comments from students. Like Becky, she wound up focusing on two smaller schools as her top two choices: Oberlin College in Ohio and Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts.
Hightstown High valedictorian Heather Kulik agrees with the point that the colleges and universities with the biggest reputations may not always be the best choice.
“Often the schools that have name recognition aren’t going to give you as much financial aid, and they’re not necessarily the best school for you,” she said.
Although she has received many honors for her exceptional math ability, Heather is not one who particularly seeks the limelight, and she found herself attracted to smaller Cooper Union because it is “inconspicuous” and also because “it was right in the middle of things” in New York City.
Diane Schneider urged students to “have an idea of what you’re looking for when you’re looking for a college, because there are so many out there.”
She herself decided that she wanted a program in physical therapy that would combine undergraduate and graduate study so she could get a master’s degree in five years. That criterion narrowed her search down to about five schools. Of these she chose Boston University, in part because, she said, “I just fell in love with Boston.”
She reported that her choices for after-graduation careers was easy because she has wanted to be a physical therapist since she was 10 years old. Volunteering during the summer at a school for mentally and physically disabled people, she had the chance to see the therapists at work.
“It was really interesting to see how much impact they had on these kids’ lives,” she said.
Becky said it is important for those beginning the college admissions process to start by deciding on the most important qualities they want in a college or university. Then they should find a few places that have those desired traits. She warned younger students against getting their hearts set on one particular school, because that sets them up for disappointment if they are not accepted. This happened to some of Becky’s friends and “it sort of ruined the whole process for them.”
Heather suggested a potential pitfall in the tendency for many students to focus on applying to “reach” schools, schools to which it will be very difficult for them to be accepted.
“It is important to find a school that is not too difficult to get into, and not too easy to get into. It is important that you can survive there. If you’re going to apply to all ‘reach schools’ then obviously your going to be reaching all four years of college, and it’s better to go to a school that’s targeted for your ability,” she said.