As May rolls around, graduation party invites are getting sent out and I started to think back to when I was graduating from high school and how unprepared I was for college. I was ready emotionally but was not very prepared as far as what to expect and things to prepare for. I had good grades and got my share of scholarships. Unfortunately though, my high school guidance counselor did not really do any counseling. I thought I knew what I wanted so my parents just let me make up my own mind. I should have known to talk to my parents or siblings as I had quite a few go to college already before me but what 17 yr old guy wants to ask his family for advice. When I taught, I talked to my students constantly about what to prepare for and ways to go about it. These are the things that I stressed the most.
1st-
If you are not sure what you want to do yet, that is perfectly fine. You do not have to declare a major or what you want to do with your life during your senior year of high school. Working on your generals in college is perfectly normal to try and get a sense for what type of classes you enjoy. Maybe you want to work in some different types of jobs to get a sense of whether or not you would like working in that field. If you are not set on being a computer engineer and going to RIT like a few of my students were, then maybe a 2 year community college is a better option. Meaning, if you are not positive in what you want, save some money and get your AA degree for 1/4 the price of a university would charge you.
2nd-
Working that community college angle. I tried to push a lot of my students who weren’t planning on going to a prestigious school to go to a community college to get their AA degree first. Then transfer your credits over to the university or state college that you want to finish your degree at. Plan ahead and make sure they accept credits from the community college that you want to go to. It may add a semester to your overall graduation date but it will cut your college expenses immensely. Also look at overall cost for different universities, colleges, or private schools. There are some that guarantee placement for your degree but most can not. So if it costs you double or more to get the same degree from two different colleges and you want to be a teacher like I was, then it does not pay to spend the extra money. You sell yourself with your resume and in an interview, what college you went to most often makes no difference.
3rd-
Apply for every scholarship under the sun that you can. Look at scholarship websites online, at the scholarships available to your local school, and also at the potential college you are going to. This is one way to cut down on your cost. $500 does not seem like a large scholarship when you see ones for $5000, but you will be very thankful when you buy your books for the first time you applied for that $500 scholarship. $500 for an hour or two of your time to apply is a pretty good rate.
4th-
Work if at all possible during your time at school. The less debt you have coming out of college, the less overwhelmed you will be when you want to start buying a home or a vehicle down the line. Work study is by far the best route to go for this. They pay you well and a lot of times, depending on your position, you will be able to work on homework during your shift. I had a great friend who work in the library and he and I would spend hours doing homework all the while he got paid. He just had to man the desk and vacuum at the end of the night. I worked at McDonalds which was a great job as they worked around my schedule very nicely. Plus I got a lot of discounted or free meals. I happen to enjoy McDonalds.
5th-
This is a tough one because there are a lot of different opinions on the matter. To me, if you are not ready for college or are unsure of what you want to do, maybe move somewhere or stay home(if possible) and find work and live life for a while. Yeah, you might be starting out behind some of your friends in the work field or going to school when you are 28, but maybe you have saved enough money so you have little to zero debt. Or maybe you didn’t have to switch majors 5 times because you didn’t just go to school to say you are going to college. I know there are some that say if you don’t go right away, you might never go. That is a possibility but I believe if you find something you want to do, you will go and get the degree needed to do the job. Some of my friends never went and have a lot less debt than me and are making good livings in the construction, trucking, and welding fields. Some jobs will give you all the training you need to work for them. No degree needed. There is no shame in not going to college right away or ever if not needed. Some jobs may require you to get a degree to work for them, and if you want it bad enough, you will get it.
I thought I knew in high school what I was going to do and be in life and it changed. I am very happy it did. It can be a stressful time, but with a little planning and talking to your parents, friends, or older siblings, they can help it become a lot less stressful.
