High school—the greatest time of our lives. Four years to learn and to live life as a teenager.  Sounds great, but then you find out you have some decisions to make. When you take the time to look past those four years and past graduation, you can see that big decision just waiting to be made.
 Really no one is completely unprepared though, not with every teacher in every class screaming COLLEGE in your face. They tell you to pick a major, pick a college, four-year or two-year, in-state or out, tuition, applications, and scholarships. It can be a little overwhelming.
 What everyone needs is to look at the different decisions that amount to college in an organized manner. Assuming you are planning on college, the length of your stay within the hallowed halls of whatever college or university is a good starting point. The choices are pretty clear; you can make it two years, four years, or longer if that master’s or Ph.D. is what you’re looking for.
 The benefits of an extended education are clear. With a higher degree, comes a better chance of a job or a higher paying job. If college just isn’t your thing then two years of continuing education may be fine, but with the current economic state of America, at least four years is what will give an extra boost to the résumé.
 Along with the choice of how long you plan to be in college comes the choice of heading right in or going with that desirable year off. The year off can be a tough thing, though. For one, with that year off comes the tendency to extend that into two years or three years or even more.
 Junior Nina Porter feels that the year off is not for her.
 “I just want to get my education over with,” Porter said.
 When the decision of the length of your education out of the way, a much larger decision brings itself to your attention, the decision of which college or university will be graced with your presence. There are two options to think about first, in state or out of state.
 Attending college in Ohio has its benefits, the biggest being cost. Colleges in Ohio will typically give discounts to Ohio residents and many scholarships tend to be focused on Ohio students staying in Ohio.
 So unless you have a serious need to get out of Ohio and as far away as possible, in state is a good choice. But, to each his own, I guess.
 Another aspect to look at is attending a private or public university. Private will be more expensive but will provide a better education. Public will be cheaper, but many of the professors may be recently graduated students or may not have as much experience.
 Tuition is a big deal when it comes to choosing a college or university. The lack of proper funding typically puts you out of the running for a college.
 Luckily, almost every college or university provides opportunities for some sort of financial aid, and there are infinite amounts of scholarships out there to be had.
 Sometimes, though, scholarships and financial aid can’t quite cover it. So student loans become required and jobs are needed to pay off those loans.
 Having a job in college can be tough, though. Having to balance a job with schoolwork, whether it goes part time with full-time school or full time with part-time school, can seriously conflict with the education half of the deal. College is a lot of work, a lot more than high school. It would take some serious dedication and organization on both parts to get it to work out, but it is possible.
 Now comes the biggest question: what on earth am I going to major in? Most students have the hardest time when it comes to choosing a major.
 “It’s taking some time for me,” junior Leah Hively said. “I know what I like to do, but not if that’s what I want to do.”
 Serious concerns among students are the same as those of Hively. No one wants to spend the rest of their life doing something they don’t enjoy. And no one wants to end up with a dead-end job by choosing something they like but will never make a good career out of.
 When choosing a major, there are certain things you should look at. What you would enjoy is a big one, but also look at whether you can find a job in that, or what sort of classes or extended education past the regular four years that major will require.
 The Life Planning class here at Circleville High School does a great job of helping students look into possible careers. It helps maybe eliminate or narrow down your thoughts on a major in college.
 One of the best ways to get a better idea is to form a list of majors you may want to pursue, and then look online to find what jobs you can find, or look on college websites to see what classes are required and what they consist of.
 Another good way is to just go into college undecided. Many universities offer classes to undecided students to help them decide on a major. Other general education classes you take could help you decide also.
 It’s okay to go in undecided or to have to change your major after your first year. It’s hard to know exactly what you want to do for the rest of your life, but if you start early and go about it in an organized manner, the decision on a major will be a lot easier to make and will take away a lot of stress.