Schools are persistently pushing students to care about planning ahead and having college be a vital part of their secondary education. As the beginning of the year rolls by, there is a lot of buzz about when, how, or where to apply. Though, in contrast, there are many students who do not see a use in applying or even considering having college as an option. Students are always encouraged to find what skills or abilities interest them and have their passion be the choosing point to where they go after graduation. However, to endorse a productive future generation, we should emphasize why it is so crucial for students to at least have some sort of certification given from college, as it could be the framework for a variety of pathways and opportunities.
We are not saying college should be shoved down students’ throats at school. What we want to see is a more encouraging attitude towards pursuing some form of higher education. This could be going to a public university, a community college or a trade school.
It is reasonable to understand why students feel so uninterested in applying to schools. It causes lots of stress for people nervous about their future. According to prep scholar, 76 percent of students feel some level of stress when they apply for college. Things like having a bad GPA, not having enough APs and not writing a good enough essay for your dream school cloud the minds of students and fill them with dread.
Also, there is a lot of red tape around the whole college application process. Even if someone reaches out for help from a counselor, their help is not guaranteed. Counselors cannot focus all their time on helping one student apply to a school since they have 100 more kids asking them the same questions. We all have dealt with waiting a long time for a response from your counselor even if it is just a quick question you asked them. So, students can feel alone when they try to apply to schools.
However, we think these issues are not something students should be facing. It is important to offer students help where they need it. For starters, we recommend encouraging students early to challenge themselves with either AP courses or involvement in extra-curricular activities. Dual enrollment is another good idea for students to get ahead of their pursuits in college. Not everyone will be on board with this, however it is important to challenge students now versus later when time is running out to become college ready. Trying to push students into the direction of harder courses will lead to colleges seeing them trying harder classes sooner than others, which in turn will help boost their chances of achieving a higher education.
Similarly, students who apply to colleges earlier actually have been found to have higher acceptance rates. Thoughtco.com shows that students who applied to Ivy League schools through early action or early decision ahead of their peers were accepted at higher rates than those who applied in the regular mid-December to early February window. Encouraging students to apply sooner to schools shows to the college the student is ready to pursue a higher education.
By implementing these simple steps students can feel more confident in themselves when it comes to applying to a dream school of theirs. Without the worry of poor academic rigor and lack of care about college, they will find the process becomes significantly easier.
Still, resources should be there to help guide them through the process of applying. Even with good grades, some still feel hopeless. But that is why we think it is so important for schools to be there with students during every step of the process. A productive future generation starts with a solid education.
