For most high school students, college is the ultimate goal in their school endeavors.
College isn’t just about applying and getting in. There are multiple factors and tasks to complete to even start the application process. It’s a competition, and if students haven’t been preparing for it their high school careers they have a much lower chance of getting into their dream colleges–or college at all.
Most high paying and successful jobs/careers require people to have a college degree of some kind. Studies have shown that people who attend college are bound to be more successful, but most public high schools lack resources to help and encourage students to not only get to college, but also graduate.
If students are provided with needed information about college applications at a young age it will be more beneficial during the application process. Lacking information is a common barrier students encounter during the application process which increases the difficulty of being accepted.
Each year, Rio has an annual college fair where representatives from schools advertise their schools. If it were to take place at lunch time students will be more likely to go.
Some students can afford the extra costs of hiring a college counselor, but others may not have that luxury. The opportunity for college counseling should be given to all students regardless of their financial state.
Joe Gomes is a new college counselor on campus. Rio is taking much needed steps to prepare their students for college apps.
Some high schools have taken initiative in college preparation for their students by providing them with resources like college counselors and college visits to help students get a better idea of college life, and although AVID takes its students to see colleges in person, resources like youvisit.com or techniques for navigating a college’s website should be introduced.
Some students don’t have a clue about how to avoid paying off student debt for the rest of their lives. Sadly, they were never prepared for it and enter college blindly leaving them no choice but to take out huge loans if they can’t pay out of pocket.
Because of the current emergence of alternatives to college now, students are no longer seeing the reason to participate in higher education opportunities. Many students decide to take gap years or join the military versus going straight into college.
The U.S. should adopt a system like European high schools. Unlike here in the U.S where students are required to take classes they most likely won’t need, students in Europe only have to take necessary classes to fulfill their professions. In the U.S., students have to take different types of classes. Three years of math classes would be unnecessary for a student who wants to become a writer. Students should not be required to study subjects they have no intention of pursuing.
Students in Europe can easily feel overwhelmed because it is almost impossible to expect them to declare a major without allowing them to explore their interests through a tailored curriculum.
College is meant to be an exciting time of new beginnings, not full of dread and worry.