Seaholm senior Kristen Thut has been searching for the ‘right’ college since the beginning of her junior year. Many campus tours, information sessions, and conversations with college students later, Thut is still unsure of what school she wants to attend next year.
While Thut has cut down her list of potential schools to around five, she said she will have to take a careful look again at each of the schools she is accepted to again before making a decision.“I would definitely go back again because I think there is something to be said that’s a lot different when you visit a campus as an accepted student compared to being a prospective student,” Thut said.
Seaholm counselor Brian Flatter agrees. He said that the first step in the college search is to visit campuses and decide what college lifestyle feels right for students.
“You definitely need to take a physical visit, go to the campus see what it feels like,” said Flatter. “It is a financial commitment [so] you need to find out if you want to live on campus and how far away from home you want to be.”
Former Seaholm student Sara Cook, who is now a sophomore at Michigan State University, said students should also try to find a school that complies with their academic interests.
“High school seniors should really think about what it is that they want out of their college experience,” said Cook. “If a school doesn’t offer a particular major program or extracurricular they are interested in, then forget it. There are plenty of other schools out there.”
2011 Seaholm graduate Cody Weinberger chose to attend the University of Chicago because of its prestigious ecology program and also because it allowed an out of state experience while still being close to home.
While Weinberger visited UChicago, as well as the other schools he was accepted to, he has had a difficult time adjusting to the not predicted workload.
“I expected it to be challenging, but it is much more academically rigorous than I had imagined. I am generally up until 4-6 a.m. doing homework or studying and don’t do much besides study and work,” said Weinberger. “I thought I would have more free time than I actually do.”
While Weinberger said it is too early to tell if attending UChicago was the wrong decision, he does have some regrets about the decision making process.
“Sometimes I question whether the tuition difference is worthwhile than if I went in-state and I do miss many of my friends,” said Weinberger. “I wish I had stayed overnight with someone at (University of Michigan), as I liked the campus a lot more when I recently visited and stayed with a friend.”
However, if you do not have the opportunity to stay overnight with someone at a college you are interested in, there are other ways to get a more personal feel of what a school is like.
College and Roeper High School Counselor and author of “College is Yours,” Pat O’Connor, thinks a great way to find out if a school is right for you is conferring with former high school classmates.
“Find out if anyone from your high school is going to that college,” said O’Connor. “If they are, see if you can talk to them during your visit, or meet up with them when they are home on vacation. Even if you didn’t know this person well, they can tell you about the college, how it’s different from Seaholm, what surprised them, etc.”
Additionally O’Connor said seniors should take advantage of Admitted Student programs when deciding between colleges they have been accepted to.
“If the college offers an Admitted Student program, think about going—this is the chance to meet your fellow classmates, and that’s a big part of a successful adjustment to college,” O’Conner said.
Former Seaholm Student and a current West Point sophomore, Calla Glavin, believes the most important thing about deciding where to go for college is making your own decision.
“Choose what’s best for you, not what your parents want, or what your coaches want, or what your friends want,” Glavin said.
