Which college do seniors want?

Senior year is a very busy year and time is a constraining factor.  With the college applications deadlines coming up, seniors at Lindhurst are working their best to impress their dream schools. Universities are more selective now more than ever. Acceptance no longer guarantees a spot in a college; the student needs the financial stability to attend a college.

Many of my peers questioned whether a junior or community college is the right way to go. One of my AVID classmates declared that he is going to Yuba College because it will save him money and he can still obtain the same experience as his peers after he transfers.

No choice is wrong when determining where to go in the future. Some results may come sooner than others, but every choice will have its outcome. It depends on how determined and patient the person is.

Thus what Lindhurst needs is encouragement for its seniors. For those who are more informed, their application process is going smoother than others. On Nov. 10, Yuba College’s Educational Talent Search program hosted a college workshop for its high school seniors. Admission officers from CSU Chico and UC Davis attended; their insights on the admission requirements, processes and decisions made applying more realistic to the seniors who attended. It was a great opportunity for LHS seniors because they received one-on-one time with each officer and had their questions answered.

Even with assistance, some of my peers are still pressured from the numerous tasks that piled up from being a senior. I asked Lindhurst’s senior president Ofelia Herrejón on how she was spending her Thanksgiving break. Ofelia answered, “Doing homework and working on college applications and scholarships.”

Ofelia also offered her feelings on her college applications process: “It’s stressful, because not only am I dealing with school work and making time to work on scholarships, but maintaining my GPA in order to impress schools is draining.”

Kia Vang, a senior at LHS, has a different opinion: “I feel pretty accomplished. I am almost there. Even though if I don’t get into my dream school, I won’t feel bad because there are other schools.”

I can’t really generalize on where my peers should go. Each has his or her own interests and worries. If a community college is the best fit for him, then he should be encouraged, not reprimanded. If she wants to become a doctor, then assist her in what classes she needs to take to make her dream closer. If someone decides that a four-year university is the place to go, although his or her test scores may be lower than others, admission decisions are mostly holistic, so focus on what is his or her strong point. 

Every student in LHS has his or her own choice for what future he or she wants. It is no longer “which college wants me.” It is “which college do I want.”

Marisa Vang is a senior at Lindhurst High School. Her column appears every six weeks in Education.