I have two goals for all the 11th graders I counsel. The first of those is to begin taking standardized tests, their SAT and ACT if college is the goal for them. My second goal is to think. By that, I mean I want them to begin the mental homework and emotional preparation that is needed to support the biggest decision most of them will make in their young lives. That is, what do I want to do after graduation.
I don’t mean “what do you want to be when you grow up” here. I mean students just need to determine what the next step is for them. Generally that means enlist in the military, immediately join the workforce, or pursue a skill through college or trade school or whatever. That decision is pretty weighty in its own right but truthfully, many students arrive at their junior year with this basic decision already made. However, there is more thinking to do.
If a student chooses the workforce, they are likely to continue working in their high school job. If they choose the military they need to decide which branch they want to join and perhaps think about the timing of enlistment, but if they choose college there is a lot to think about.
This means students really need to put some deep thought into where they might want to go to college. Perhaps they’ve always wanted to go to a given school, but now is the time to consider whether they can actually get into or afford that college. If their dream school isn’t feasible, what is? Where can they really see themselves?
This line of thought is going to lead to a million more questions. Do I want to stay close to home or go far away? How does college affordability work into my decision? What colleges excel or even offer the degrees I am interested in? How do my grades and test scores stack up to other students admitted to this college? Students and their families need to do some legitimate research to answer these questions and others.
Once students have done some thinking and some research, it’s time to start taking some college tours. There’s a huge difference in seeing a campus in person and just doing that research. There’s also a difference in taking a formal tour of a campus and just going to some football games on Saturday afternoons. Campus tours are critical parts of the research and thinking students need to do before they are in position to make their final decision during their senior year.
Skipping ahead to senior year, students will apply in the fall, wait for their decisions, then commit to their schools in the winter or spring of their senior year. It all starts with the mental preparation that should happen during junior year. Junior year is the research, senior year is when you’re at the dealership and buying the car.
