Last Year's Seniors Share Life On The Other Side

By Lauren Nickerson/Staff Writer

The CFHS class of 2012 has graduated and moved on from high school to different colleges around the state and country. Some close by graduates shared how their school year is going, why they chose the college they chose and more. 

The students had many reasons why they picked the colleges they now attend. “I chose UNI because it is a great school, and I’m still close to home,” 2012 graduate Maddie Gary said. Another 2012 grad, Paige Miller, chose Hawkeye Community College. “I chose Hawkeye because I thought it would be a good transition out of high school for me, and it’s close to home. Also, it’s cheap, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to major in, so I am just getting my liberal arts done then will figure it out,” Miller said. Jake Bermal, also a 2012 graduate, chose the University of Northern Iowa for his education. “I mainly chose UNI because of the golf program,” Bermal said. 

These students have moved out of their parents’ homes and are now experiencing living on their own.  “I live in a dorm on campus. It’s weird living on my own, but I like it,” Gary said. Miller and Bermal also live in dorms. “I go to Hawkeye and live in the Towers at UNI. I wanted to stay close to home but still get the dorm experience. I love it,” Miller said. “I live in the dorms at UNI. The only negative is having to do my own laundry,” Bermal said. 

 College life is much different than high school life. “I miss Friday night football games and being around people I’ve grown up with my entire life. I miss being with all of my friends all the time. I love the independence and free time that I have in college,” Gary said. Miller also misses football games and powderpuff. “People always say live up your high school years and that is so true. They go by fast,” Miller said. “I definitely miss all my friends. In college you have a lot more free time to do your homework because you get to schedule your classes,” Bermal said. 

The classroom environment and teachers are not the same in college as they are in high school. “The teachers here expect you to be on top of everything, and they don’t really reach out to you if you’re struggling. You have to make the first move. Some professors here don’t even tell you when you have assignments. You have to look at the syllabus,” Gary said. “At Hawkeye my classes are similar to high school. I have 15-20 kids in all my classes, but you have a big range of age difference, which is kind of weird, but it doesn’t bother me at all,” Miller said. “The teachers in college are not as interactive with the students. Mostly we just get a lot of lectures and hardly any classroom participation,” Bermal said. 

For seniors making major decisions about college, these three graduates have some tips from personal experience. “Advice I have to seniors would be look into a lot of different colleges and don’t be too quick to make your decision,” Gary said. “If you don’t know what your major is I believe that a community college is the way to go. It’s a lot cheaper too,” Miller said. “You should go on a lot of college visits. You always want to check out the campus and see what the school is all about so you know for sure which college is right for you,” Bermal said.