May 1st is almost here. This is the date when many high school seniors must deposit at the college of their choice. For some students it is an easy decision. For other students the decision looms large. Often they and their parents try to over think it.
If at all possible, I encourage students to narrow their list to two or to three schools and visit or revisit. When visiting as an accepted freshman, a student may see a school through a very different lens – now knowing the school wants him. For some students the visit will make their decision clear.
For those students that remain conflicted, I encourage them to make a list of pros and cons and then honestly articulate their gut reaction to the way the list played out. If they are instinctively unhappy, it may be because they know which school they want to attend, but for one reason or another, they are finding it hard to verbalize, or do not want to verbalize, what they are thinking. Often, but not always, this occurs because students know that their parent or parents think Great College is the best school for them, but they honestly want to go to Wonderful U.
Sometimes choosing a school is simply picking one of two or three good choices. Other times, difficulty selecting between schools can reflect real important underlying concerns, financial, social, or academic. If this is the case, now would be a good time for discussion.
Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP
No comments:
Post a Comment