Writing vs. Typing Notes
One of the important questions, or in this case, topic, in terms of taking notes during class is either using a pen/pencil with paper or your laptop…
My first year as an admissions counselor threw me deep into a nostalgic reflection about my own high school experience. I winced over recalling that I rose before the sun so I could drive 35 minutes on winding roads to get to my high school. I thought back to the parking lot that was the main hang out spot, driving to Wal-Mart at midnight to gorge on the sickeningly soft sugar cookies with the bright pink frosting, and the hours I spent fretting over what would come after graduation.
In the midst of one of my flashbacks, I remembered an article I wrote for my high school newspaper titled “Awkward Moments: Juniors Stumble Over Their Futures”, which chronicled forced conversations juniors have with strangers. Most of my pieces for my “Awkward Moments” column joked about my love life and my self-conscious social interactions. This one hit on the sense of impending doom many juniors feel about their unknown future.
Reading it as an admissions counselor was strange: I realized that I currently hold a job that caused me absorbent amounts of stress as a high schooler. Because I can’t turn back time and talk to my sixteen year old self, I hope my responses to my junior year article will alleviate some of your concerns and let you enter your senior year with less anxiety about the future.
A typical conversation normally started with him or her asking what I plan to do after high school. I would then gain a false sense of security; the only element I knew about my future was that I would be attending college.
Don’t take that knowledge for granted and focus on what you DO know. At my high school, many people opted to enter the workforce or the military. This is one of the first major decisions you will make in your life and determining the pathway you want to take after high school graduation is a huge deal! Celebrate that fact that you know you want to go to college and recognize that in itself is a big decision.
My typical questioner would nod his or her head, immediately following this question up with, ‘What schools are you looking at?’ This one question continually made me grasp for words. I have not visited any schools and have no clue how to even start searching for my "perfect fit."
What is a perfect fit? Think about what you value within your own community and education. Do you want to live in a city or a small town? What do you want to continue from your high school experience? What gets you excited academically? When you dream about your college, what is your roommate like? Go online and look at college websites to see if their vibe matches yours. We create our pages to reflect our students and academics so you can get a feel for us while you’re sitting comfortably at home.
I would tightly grin back, throwing out a school that I was familiar with, my sister’s alma mater. With a glimmer of recognition, this person, grinning, would tell me that it is ‘always good to uphold legacies. You will do well there, just like your sister.’ I would attempt to cover up my grimace, not knowing what to say to these words that were meant to be reassuring. Now hear this: younger siblings do not want to be compared to their older siblings! Just because they are in the same family does not mean they want the same things.
I agree! This is your college search. Remember that these are your four years and you can deviate away from your family, even if you have baby pictures with your parents’ college logos on it. Don’t feel pressure to uphold familial tradition. Think about if you love imagining yourself attending a college and not what you think what appeal to your family.
Though the mounting pressure grows to determine the pathway of my future, I realize there is no rush. My future is just as uncertain as it was entering junior year, even if I have more developed answers to these questions. There will be a clear pathway I should follow when the time comes. There is nothing wrong with being uncertain about the rest of your life; we are, after all, in high school.
Take it easy on yourself! Juniors, you just finished an extremely difficult year. Enjoy the summer and congratulate yourself for finishing another year of high school.
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