From selecting what school, to what major, to what to be involved in, students have to figure out a lot regarding college. Students can feel very lost trying to figure all of this out, so it’s important to know that many people in their lives have gone through this, like the teachers here at North.
Math teacher Chris Peters graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2013 with a degree in journalism, and math teacher Ashley Speak attended the University of Nebraska-Kearney on an athletic scholarship for softball, and graduated in 2002.
The first decision that most people make is figuring out what type of school they want to go to. This can be a massive hurdle for students as they debate between a small or large university, or if they want to live in or out of state. The teachers’ biggest advice on this? Visit schools. Peters stressed the importance of visiting campuses.
“Going on a campus, you get to see what the life is gonna be like, the literal essence of the place.” Peters said.
Once the perfect school has been selected, the next step is to become accepted. Of course applicants need to meet the ACT or SAT requirements, and have a GPA that meets the university’s needs. But students will also need to do a number of other things to become accepted, like writing an essay and providing letters of recommendation.
“Another piece of advice, get your letter of recommendations early,” Speak said. “I think teachers are more willing to put quality time into them the earlier they get them.”
After selecting the college that checks all the boxes, the next step is figuring out the living situation. Living away from the comfort of home for the first time can be very stressful for people which makes figuring this out so important. Most students choose to live on campus for their first year or two, which both teachers seemed heavily in favor of.
Perhaps the most stressful part of the dorm selecting process is figuring out who your roommate is.
“I lived in the old crappy dorms with a bunch of international students, and I had a random roommate,” Peters said.
While becoming roommates with your best friend might seem like a dream come true at first, it could actually put a large strain on both your relationship as a friend and as a roommate.
“In the dorm, I had a softball player, so we were never separated,” Speak said. “So that was a little stressful.”
Fulfilling one’s dream of playing sports in college can prove to be a much harsher reality as student athletes have to figure out whether or not that is their true passion, and where their future is headed.
“I’m one of those kids that didn’t love to sit on the bench, so where I could find some time to play was a key component for me,” Speak said.
Overall, Speak and Peters most importantly stressed experiencing college as a whole and getting involved with as many things as possible. The college experience is one that you will never be able to have again, so it is imperative that you make the most of it.
