This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

The College Admission Process: Plowing Through the Storm - A Message for High School Juniors

High School Seniors are in the final stages of choosing their where they will go to College. For High School Juniors, now is the time to start the research and preparation.

The word January comes out feeling cold and might even have a scent of steaming hot chocolate, marshmallows included. The first month of the year will look like boots and scarves in the Hudson Valley, haphazard mountains of snow forming in all parking lots, but all around the country high school juniors can only see one thing forming: the college process.

 Just hearing the word college can make any sixteen-year-old student’s anxiety level rise to a boil, but it doesn’t have to be so stressful. Avoiding adding to the stress of the future is the best thing a parent can do during this process, and that can be difficult when all you want to do is point them in the direction that’s right for them. Laziness becomes a challenge, but plowing the roads a little at a time is a sure way to avoid the messy piles of icy waste that no one can build the perfect snowman with.

 Figuring out the potential major of your high school junior is indefinitely step one and is absolutely crucial. Have they taken an aptitude test to determine the field they have the most interest in? Have they brainstormed about the possible career they want? What kind of career do they want?

Find out what's happening in Pearl Riverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 

Finding the major is half the battle. The next step will be to decide where they want to live for the next four years of their life. Do they want to be close to home? Are they itching to get as far away as possible? Are they sick of the cold New York Januaries? Do they want to venture out somewhere even colder?  Do they want to be on a big campus or a small campus? These are all questions that are essential to figure out the location to further their education.

Find out what's happening in Pearl Riverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 Cost is also something to take into consideration. While student loans are usually available, coming out of college with an incredible amount to pay back can cause the same, if not worse, boiling anxiety that the application process can. Thoughts of having to pay back loans in five years might not register for a sixteen-year-old student. Make sure they understand the gravity of the situation before the burden of the loan falls right on top of them when they graduate.

 Once there is a list of schools to work with, the actual application process can begin. Your student’s School Counselor should be extremely helpful during this journey, but most colleges and universities have all their application information on their websites.

 The college process is long and hard, but it doesn’t have to be stressful if you start early. Pour yourself a cup of hot chocolate, bundle up in your sweaters a scarves, strap on your boots, and watch your high school junior prepare to shovel through the college process with ease.


Written by Hilary Rosen. Hilary is a graduate student at LIU Hudson's Roclkland Campus and will complete her Master's degree in School Counseling this Spring. 
We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?