The College Process

Are you going to college? Stressed? Don’t be. Take a deep breath. It will all be okay. After interviewing Richard Durgin, a guidance counselor at Nauset, we have tons of reasons to believe everything will be alright. Mr. Durgin enlightened me with guidelines for the college applicant, and reinforced the fact that applying to college is nothing to worry about. On the contrary, it is a great experience.

“When you’re applying, the first thing you should think about is where you want to go” Mr. Durgin says.

There are a few types of schools you should consider, dream school, fallback school, and reach school.

Type 1: Dream School; If you have it, go for it. For many people, there is no such thing as a dream school. For those, Mr. Durgin, says don’t worry. Just visit a list of potential colleges and some will probably stick out as your favorites.

Type 2: Fallback School, This is sort of like a “safety in numbers” game. It’s good to have have a plan B, so pick a college that is a back up, in case you don’t get in, or should your mind change about your dream school.

Type 3: Reach School, Perhaps there is a very good school that you want to apply to, but you’re not sure if you’ll get in. Apply anyway! Who knows? If worst comes to worst and you don’t get in, you can go somewhere else. Don’t overthink things. It is stressful, there are lots of deadlines, but all you have to do is meet them. This brings us to an important point, critical to the process: be relaxed.

We have spent our lives doing what we are expected to do. Go to school, take classes, etc. But now, out of nowhere, we are forced to decide what we want to do for the rest of our lives in mere months! How does one do that? How do you pick classes? Once again, there is more than one option. Number one: If you vaguely know what you want to pursue, take a lot of classes in that area. If you are torn between a few careers, take some classes in both areas. Finally, if you have no clue, just click “Undecided” for your major.

“Most students who are applying to college apply under the undecided field”,

Mr. Durgin states. It makes it easier, and lots of the kids who pick a major end up switching anyways, so undecided is a good choice.
If you have questions on college, the good news is there is always someone you can talk to. A guidance counselor, parent, relative, or a friend, all are there to help.
While talking to my peer, Joe Brennan, I discovered that he is, like many, unsure on what to do. But he knows he wants to go to a public school on the east coast, to study either music technology/production or something along the lines of sports management.
That is just enough: he doesn’t need to freak out or pick something fast, he can take his time, apply to approximately four schools, and everything will work out.
Another one of my friends, Jillian McNamara, knows she wants to pursue, photography, and is planning to apply to four schools that offer photography programs.
College applicant, there is no need to fret; nobody who applies to college has all the answers. If they did, part of experience would be diminished. Simply follow some of the advice offered to you in the passages above, and everything will be fine.