With endless conversation surrounding college, career paths and post secondary institutions, counselors say planning for college early can help make the journey less stressful and more successful.
There are different options for students after high school, including attending a community college, four year college, trade school, military or work. Many students align their post secondary school with their preferred career path, Public Policy Institute of California reports.
“There’s no automatic thing that everybody does,” College and Career advisor Zorina Matavulj said. “You figure out the pathway and the answer that works for the students.”
Last year, graduates went to an assortment of post secondary institutions. With the variety of paths available, students shared that it can be really difficult to figure out what they want to do after high school. Freshman Patricia Velbis explained her plans for after high school.
“[I want] to do something that makes me happy, but I also want to make money,” Velbis said.
College counselors can really help students with future planning and roadmaps. A NACAC study in 2023 found that students who talked to school counselors 1 on 1 were 3.2 times more likely to attend college and 6.8 times more likely to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which can sometimes fully eliminate the cost of college for some students.
“I basically just [ask students], ‘what are you interested in, what do you want to do [and] what are your goals?’” Matavulj said. “Whatever their answer is, is sort of a step two. That’s the next thing I would give them information about, find them materials about, and talk to them [about].”
Other than financial aid, another way students in California can receive low-cost post secondary education is through community college. Community college is a very common pathway for students, with 38.2% of graduates last year attending one.
“I plan to either go first to a community college or to a four year college,” Velbis said.
Some students said the hardest part of the whole process isn’t finding a career or pathway that suits them, it’s getting admitted into college and the pressure that comes with it.
“[I’m] not looking forward to college admissions and writing applications,” junior Anica Gaggar said.
Over half of young adults agree that their most stressful academic experience to date was when they applied for college.
“Four year colleges look at grades more than anything else,” Matavulj said. “Definitely focus on your high school classes.”
Despite the planning and stress that goes into college and the future, it’s important to enjoy the college experience, according to collegestats.org.
“I am looking forward to going to college,” Gaggar said. “I feel like it’ll be super fun and I’m excited to see new places.”
