Many seniors are getting to that point where they have to start questioning what their plans are after high school. Students are beginning to wonder if they are going to college, when they should start, where they should go, and what they should major in. It can get difficult to know the right school you will attend for the next four years.
Senior Sam Maxwell is planning on attending DePaul University in Chicago and majoring in Film and Television. Maxwell describes why she chose that major.
“I started getting interested in animation,” Maxwell explained. “I really liked watching movies. And I was [thinking] maybe I can do this for a living, and that kind of led me down that path.”
It is extremely hard to figure out a major, especially at such a young age. A lot of people change their majors multiple times in college, although it’s not ideal and can add extra schooling, Maxwell believes it’s important that one is sure about what they want to do for a living for the rest of their lives.
“It’s okay to go to a college and not know what you’re gonna do. I understand that it’s difficult and even though I think I know what I want to do, I might change it,” Maxwell explained. “Probably start at community college if you really are unsure just because it’s cheaper and you can get it for free with the A-Plus program.”
The community college is a great option because the first two years are free if you qualify for the A Plus program. Senior Lucas Goodman is majoring in Computer Science and plans to attend St. Charles Community College for two years.
“I first tried out web page design then that led me on a track I didn’t expect so [then] I went down the path of going to Lewis and Clark”, Goodman explained. “I got a pretty good teacher. He taught me a lot of languages and how to build stuff. For example, I know how to build websites, finance applications. The video game stuff.”
Our school offers programs like Lewis & Clark and CAPS to students ready to start their career early and learn more about the major they are wanting to go into. CAPS stands for Career for Advanced Professional Studies and they offer hands-on learning experiences in healthcare, business/entrepreneurship and technology solutions. Lewis and Clark Career Center gives that workplace environment feel and provides students with professional skills related to the career they are wanting to go into. Choosing a college is also such a big decision because it’s hard to know from just a simple one hour tour if that is the college for you. Senior Claire Harmon is majoring in Business and Information technology and plans on attending Missouri University of Science and Technology. Harmon describes what went into her decision to attend that school.
“I’ve always had it in mind, I’ve always wanted to apply there. It was just a matter of waiting until I got in,” Harmon said. “I also will be getting an Alumni Scholarship.”
Harmon has also been considering Missouri State University, but life in Rolla was more appealing to her. Missouri State is a lot larger in comparison with a population of 24,000 whereas S&T has merely 7,000.
“I like the smaller campus. So that’s what influenced me to choose a smaller school,” Harmon said. “I also liked the old feel of S&T. It’s still a bit older.”
Finally, once you have chosen your major and college, the excitement for college begins and the countdown for the fall semester starts ticking. Harmon speaks about what she is looking forward to at college.
“I’m so excited for Greek life, because they do lots of fun events, they do competitions,” Harmon said. “It’s just how you make friends, because if you’re not doing a sport, or part of greek life, you don’t really have that great of a chance to make friends.”
It’s important to get yourself out there in the first couple weeks of college because that’s when people make the most friends and find their crowd. It can be intimidating to make friends starting a new college because there are thousands of people that you could befriend on campus. Maxwell explains what she is excited for about DePaul.
“I’m really excited just to be in the city of Chicago. There’s just so many places to go. Museums, places to eat,” Maxwell explained. “I’m not sure exactly what clubs I’ll be doing, but I’m sure I’ll find my people, especially in the film and television program.”
