College.  What feeling does this evoke for you? It’s different for everyone but a common theme is somewhere between excited and apprehensive.  With images of collegiate life, new beginnings, study groups on the quad, late-night cramming, and football games, comes a big decision.  Where will you go?  How will it fit your wants as a student? How will where you go determine your success for the future?  All of this seems very daunting, but before you get overwhelmed take a deep breath and consider all of your options.  

1. Do some soul searching. Take this last year or two of high school to find out who you really are as a student but more importantly a person.  If you thrive better in small classes, making close connections with teachers and peers, a small to midsize school might be a good fit for you.  If you like taking notes and a big lecture hall is appealing to you, you might thrive in a midsize to big school.

1. What are your interests academically? Some students know exactly what they want to do before going into college and can fine-tune their experience based on that.  Examples of this would be students who know they want to major in something involving technology going to a tech school, or someone who knows that they want to be a nurse being a part of a nursing program.

When one CLC graduate was asked about their decision to go to a two-year tech school they said “My class choices in high school helped show me what I really want to do so why not focus on that directly in a tech school rather than all the extra credits necessary in a traditional four-year college.”- Matt Flanders, CLC graduating class of 2021.  Currently a freshman at ECPI University Charleston, SC

When another CLC graduate was asked about their decision to go to Truman State University as a part of their nursing program she said “Affordability!  Also, it was a great fit for me.  The nursing program is direct admit which was something I was looking for.”- Julianne Amato, CLC graduating class of 2019

1. What are your interests outside of academics?  The truth is, college classes only take up a small percentage of time in an average student’s weekly schedule.  The most successful students are involved in many outside activities.  There are countless extracurriculars and clubs within a college that students can participate in even if their area of study has nothing to do with it;  Rowing, theatre, sports, art, and dance just to name a few.  Being a part of these groups might be a great way to unwind and take a break from long hours of studying and every day schedule.  One popular group that many college students enjoy being a part of is Greek life.  There are many sororities and fraternities that students can join to have a stronger sense of community, make new friends, and form strong bonds that can stick with them after college and into adult life. 

When asked about her experience of joining a sorority, a CLC graduate says“College has been amazing so far.  I just started classes this week and I’m loving all of them, definitely a lot of work but it’s great! Going through rush week was such an amazing experience and I made so many great friends through it.”- Jessie Chapman, CLC graduating class of 2021. Currently a freshman at Iowa State University in Delta Zeta sorority.

1. Proximity to home is important for some students as well.  It is important to consider community colleges for many reasons including cost and proximity to family, two things that are really important to a lot of students.

“I chose to go to a community college because I wanted to stay close to my family and my hometown while pursuing all of the sports that I found I was interested in high school and furthering my education.  The cost is also significantly less than it would have been if I went to an out-of-state school.  Community college was the best fit for me.” – Brenden Parks, CLC graduating class 2019.  Currently a freshman at Harper Community college and a multi-collegiate athlete.

The college decision process is individual to each student’s own wants and needs in their pursuit of higher education.  When deciding where you would like to go to college (If you so choose), keep in mind all of the values that are important to you and the qualities that make you unique as a student and as a person.  Good luck Tigers!