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A Senior’s Struggle to Survive
What I Wish I Had Known About College Before I Was a Senior
By Raegan Perry
MISENHEIMER,
NC-
Being a senior at Gray Stone is not all it is cracked up to be. No, I am
not counting down the days until graduation. Instead, I am counting down
the days until my next college application or scholarship is due. No, I
am not out with friends every weekend. Instead, I am at home working on
homework for some of the most difficult classes that I have ever taken
at Gray Stone Day. And no, I never thought that everything would happen
so fast. I found out that I was wrong.
This article is mainly for juniors who are looking at college options.
Picking a college is such a major part of your life and it can have
lasting impacts. With so many colleges available, I did not know where
or when to begin. So here is what I think that every junior should be
doing RIGHT NOW:
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Decide how far from home you are willing to go.
Personally, I did not want to leave
North Carolina, because NC has so many
excellent schools and because I could not see myself too far from my
family.
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Decide if you want a big university or a small one.
Being at Gray Stone for four years now, I thought that I would
really like to try a big school because I felt that I had been at a
small school for so long. That was until I actually visited a small
school and found that I loved the closeness and the fact that I
would not be anonymous there. It’s a matter of personal preference.
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Talk to Gray Stone’s counselors about college.
I know that every student meets with the counselors several times.
When I first met with the Guidance Counselor, we talked about where
I could possibly go and how realistic I was in my choices. They are
a big help in getting you started and I wish that I would have asked
more questions. One of the best advices that they gave me was to
pick about ten schools that I am interested in. From there, narrow
it down to five and then decide on the ones that you will apply to.
I am applying to three colleges (possible four). One of them is my
dream school. One of them is a respectable school that I know I will
do well in. And one of them is a school where I know I will be
accepted.
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BEGIN LOOKING NOW!
As a junior in the last quarter of school, I visited a university
for the first time and I was completely blown away at how different
a college was. I was able to meet with professors, students and
admissions directors who answered many questions that my family and
I had for them. You never know if the school you want to go to is
right for you unless you actually visit. Personally, the first time
I stepped foot on my #1 college choice, I knew that I would not be
completely happy unless I attended that school in the fall of 2008.
When you visit a college campus, they give you so much information
and you really get a sense of what the school offers and why you
should or should not attend that school. Juniors and sophomores:
sign up to visit these schools NOW so that when you are a senior,
you can spend your time perfecting your college apps and applying
for scholarships.
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Become acquainted with www.CFNC.com
and start looking for scholarship opportunities.
I
am sure that you have seen the commercials about the frustrated high
school senior who is working tirelessly on college applications but
discovers liberation when they are introduced to the College
Foundation of North Carolina website, which helps students who are
applying to more than one in-state school. The website has so many
resources that are a huge asset to the application process. Explore
all of these resources now so that you already know about financial
aid, test preparation, student loans, campus tours, scholarships and
even high school planning. CFNC is a major help to countless
students applying to schools in North Carolina.
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Keep track of all your accomplishments and achievements throughout
your high school career.
Not only will colleges ask you for honors, extra circular
activities, achievements, awards and service activities but when you
apply for scholarships or ask teachers for recommendations, they
will also require all of that information. What I did was make a
resume listing everything that I had been involved in since my
freshman year. Make sure that dates and activities are accurate and
precise.
Begin the college-searching process now so that you will be on top of
things when you are a senior. This has been the most demanding,
exasperating and exciting time of my schooling. I am so busy and
stressed because of all that I have to do. Many applications require a
lot of information and I am struggling to balance these apps with my
school work, extra circular activities and family life. My hope is that
Gray Stone juniors will be much more prepared for the college process
than I was.
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