As Waterford High School’s class of 2027 settles into their junior year, many students are turning their attention to the next step after high school and beginning to consider where they want to further their education beyond high school.
Post-secondary education offers a wide variety of pathways: cosmetology, vocational or trade, university or college, community college programs, and more. Students want to continue their education in a place that will support their goals and suit their needs.
Patrick Lombardi’s dream school is the University of Connecticut (UConn) . He says, “I’ve grown up loving UConn and going to their sports games. It also has a great campus, and my siblings go there, so I think it would best suit my needs”.
Selecting a school requires a lot more thought than just considering the academics. It is essential to assess the school as a whole, including its features beyond education. Factors such as community, housing, campus, location, meal plan, diversity, and more need to be considered before committing to a school to ensure it is adequate for a student’s needs.
Madilynn Gruss has many ambitions regarding post-secondary education. She elaborates, “For my undergraduate years, I hope to go to New York University or Boston University. For grad school, I hope to go to a more competitive and prestigious school, such as Columbia University. After school, I will ideally stay in an area with more job opportunities and internships.”
Amayah Forrest-Smalls explains, “My dream school is Columbia University. I am familiar with the area where the school is located because my family grew up nearby. The campus is beautiful and there are many educational opportunities”.
Jake Wang, who hopes to study government, says, “My dream school is Georgetown University for many reasons. The campus is beautiful, and it is a good distance from home without being too far. The school has a good international relations and law program. Its location in Washington, D.C allows students to interact with governmental programs”.
Additionally, it is important for students to take classes in high school that will best prepare them and give them a head start on their desired career. AP and ECE classes are a good opportunity to gain college credit and get a head start on the material they will be learning about in the future.
For example, Alexys Valda has taken many rigorous science classes since she started her high school career. She is taking AP Chemistry this year. She says, “In the future, I hope to study medicine and become a pharmacist. I feel as though taking the classes I do now will help me with the basics for later”.
Education shapes every adolescent’s life. Choosing a school can be difficult, but becomes easier when someone has thoughts or ideas of what is next for them in life.
