By: Libby Bornhorst 21
High school is one of the biggest turning points in life. School goes from just worrying about getting good grades to worrying if you’re GPA is good enough to get into college. This along with keeping up sports, social life and clubs, can make these four years a little more of a challenge.
As junior Katie Anselmi says, “Im just always thinking about college and getting good grades to get into college and playing sports so it looks good on college applications.” but she’s not alone in her concerns. Most juniors are worried about even more than just getting in.
One thing that some students have concerns about is the social aspect of college. Wither this stems from going to a divided school or just general anxiety, the worry is there but going here actually gives students an advantage. Mrs. Huggins, a college councler here, says that Regis students always fair well with friends. Most students are able to take on leadership roles either through sports clubs or just the school and this really helps in college.
“Making friends is pretty easy for our students because they are used to being involved and stepping outside of their comfort zones to connect with others.” Mrs. Huggins adds.
Talking to the juniors about their professions after collage was meet with a lot of nervous laughter but, most had a general idea of what they wanted to do, just not how to get there. The good thing however is that Regis Jesuit has many resources including college couceling and Naviance. One helpful feature of Naviance is the Careers tab which has a list of careers on it with helpful tips like salaries.
Mrs.Huggins also remind that “once you get to college, you will be assigned an academic advisor, who will help you choose your classes based on your long term goals”
While knowing what you want to do and what to major is very helpful, if you don’t, theres no need to be concerned. Around 70% of students change their major at least once because there is more flexibility in what you can study. New job are also always popping up. 20 years ago iPhones weren’t even a thing Which goes to show how fast new jobs are created, so if you don’t know what you want to do, don’t feel bad about waiting. If you put time into learning to communicate, working well with others, thinking imaginatively and following through on projects you’ll be successful in anything you choose to do.
Another resource that could help you without even going to college counseling is that Forbes created a list of the top 100 jobs for 2018 and beyond, which is a great place to find ideas about professions. They take in projected hiring demand, median salary and even stress rates to calculate the list. The top three jobs are software developer, dentist and physicians assistant. U.S News also realsead something similar but this one includes top paying jobs, top STEM jobs and top health care jobs.
Some juniors like Sandra Sarinana, have trouble choosing between two jobs knowing both would make her happy, “I have two different paths that I want to follow and there both pretty time intensive so I’ve just been focusing on not planing my future out too much and just focus now on which one I’ll be happier in”.
This may not be everyone’s problem but it does show that happiness plays a big role in what college and major you choose. If you don’t like studying, why pick schools that are achedemically rigorous when you could pick one that truly focuses on what you love.
In the word of Mrs. Huggins “If you love what you are studying, professors will be more likely to choose you for their research projects and recommend you for internship and job opportunities.”
This also plays into getting into college. There will always be colleges that everyone applies to but those may not be the ones for you. When looking for colleges, keeping your happiness in mind always helps. While the college you choose may not be the most flashy, you and your college councilor will be able to find the perfect school for your interests.
All in all while worrying about college is completely normal, its uneccisary. Preparing for college is something that happens in increments, not all at once. While knowing what you want helps, most kids don’t and they still enjoy college. It can be scary but the process allows one to really think about what they are and what they want for the future. All you need is faith that things will all work out.