An open letter to high school seniors choosing a college:

Congratulations on making it to your final months of high school. Despite the ups and downs of adolescent drama, challenging academics, and general life obstacles that you were presented with, you’ve gotten to this crucial point in your life. This is the part where you decide how you will direct the next portion of your educational career.

As a second semester college freshman, my advice should be taken with a grain of salt, but having gone through the process you’re currently involved in I would like to offer some thoughts.

Firstly, I’d like to clarify that a four year institution of higher learning is most definitely not the only path available to you. We all differ in how we learn and succeed in this world, and not everyone is keen to spending their time in a traditional college setting. However you proceed, whether that be attending a trade school, community college, traditional university, an online program or moving directly into the work force, pride yourself on the fact that you’re putting your efforts into growing as a person and contributing to your community.

However, because I don’t have the experience to give advice in regards to anything else, these next few tips are primarily applicable to choosing a basic four year college.

1. Don’t get hung up on acceptance rates. Going to a school that accepts 15% of it’s applicants as opposed to a school that accepts 90% does not make you, or the school for that matter, more impressive.

There are so many factors that contribute to a school’s acceptance rate, including how many and what kind of applicants they receive. Many smaller liberal arts schools that aren’t well known are only applied to by certain students which means despite their high acceptance rate, the majority of students enrolled are intelligent and high achieving. For example, Lewis & Clark college has an acceptance rate of roughly 67%, yet the middle 50% GPA for our freshman class was 3.6-4.3. (https://college.lclark.edu/offices/admissions/fact...)

2. Don’t make your decision based solely on the opinions of others. Friends and family who know you well may have an important sense of where you’d do best, but ultimately the choice is up to you.

You and you alone know what college you’re looking for. Attending a school for your parent’s appeasement will benefit neither of you if you are unhappy with the choice. Go where you feel you will succeed.

3. If necessary, find a balance between financial aid and a college you truly love. If the two coincide, absolutely go for it. If you’re unable to to score this kind of luck, a bit more thought is required. With student debt burdening graduates more than ever, it’s easy to pick a school that provides you with the most support. I completely understand this rationale, and it’s not a bad course of action. However, if at all possible I recommend you try and find a compromise in which you can attend a school you could see yourself succeeding at that has also offered up some assistance. If you attend a school where you will excel and feel confident upon graduating, managing any type of debt will be a bit more feasible.

And if you’ve already committed somewhere, congratulations. To all seniors engaged in this exciting yet stressful process, I wish you the best of luck.

Also, don’t let senioritis get the best of you.