The Piedmont Highlander

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The Piedmont Highlander

The Piedmont Highlander

March Crossword Key
March 6, 2024

Applicants should test local waters

Applicants+should+test+local+waters

photo-1We’ve all heard about the magical cliché that some people walk onto a college campus and they “just know” it’s the place for them. According to the US Department of Education, the number of four year degree-granting institutions is currently at 2364. Out of these schools, how does one choose the schools to apply to, let alone visit? And this is where my advice to juniors, and those prematurely college focused underclassmen, comes in. In order to figure out where to even apply in the first place, you have to figure out what type of school you want.

Some people might already think they know they 100% want a small liberal arts education. Others have their hearts set on the glorious ivy leagues, or maybe a large state school. To even figure out where you want to apply, you should start off with visiting UC Berkeley. Even if you have absolutely no interest in staying in California, it is useful to see the atmosphere you want to be in. See how a large state school works, talk to the students, and go on a tour. Or if you’re interested in a much smaller school, St. Mary’s is a short drive through the tunnel. Maybe you can even plan a road-trip with your friends down to Los Angeles or up to Oregon. You don’t have to visit a million schools and fly all over the country to figure out where you want to go.

Going through all of the college application experience and beginning the decision process, I really wish I had visited more schools before I started applying. Because I had no idea what kind of college I wanted, I wasted my time filling out applications to schools that now I know I have no interest in.

Another benefit to visiting local schools just to get the sense of the genres of colleges is that schools give you basically one month to decide. By the time all the decisions come out, you will have a little over 30 days to commit yourself. And with school, sports, and Mexico meetings during the month of April, it’s hard to fly around the country.

I realize it might seem silly to visit if you have not gotten into a school yet. Why fall in love with a school you might not get into? The reason is that if you know you love that type of school, you can focus all your energy on apply to schools similar to it with a range of acceptance rates and you will be sure to end up happy.

Contact Emily Dukas at edukas@tphnews.com

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