Early Start Key When Choosing a College

This is certainly an interesting time of year for college bound high school seniors.

The hall passes and permission slips of high school will all be things of the past in a few short months.  But students must first work through the tedious college selection process, a process that ends with the first major decision that some students will make in their young lives.

For that reason the guidance department at Harrison High School has encouraged students to begin researching colleges as early as the 10th grade, in order to find a school that matches their financial and educational needs.

"We feel very strongly about insuring that every one of our students is in the best possible place they can be once they leave us," said Maria Chiocchio, a guidance councilor at Harrison.  "We take that obligation very seriously."

Some students have followed that format and are now in the final stages of choosing a school.  Others are still scrambling to complete their plans for next fall.

"A lot of my friends haven't even applied yet," said Shannon French, a senior at Harrison High School.  "There are some that wait a long time."

French, who is described by her guidance councilor as a poster child of self direction, has completed five applications and is now waiting for a reply.  She hopes to attend college at the University of Texas next fall.

Now I'm just waiting, which is hard," said French.  "I don't want to wait any longer."

French started looking at schools during her junior year, and says that she has had a good idea of where she would like to attend school for about a year.  It is that type of planning that Chiochio would like to see more of.

"College becomes the realization of such an investment of money, energy and time," she said.  "The research is a really important component to find out what you want before you make the jump even to applying."

One of the reasons for thinking about college so early is the variety of factors that go into choosing a school.  With a slumping economy a concern, students must now consider finances as well as grades.  Also, several S.U.N.Y. and C.U.N.Y. schools have upped admission standards in recent years, meaning that some local colleges can no longer be used as "safety schools".

But now is the time of year for those students to make up for lost ground.  With application deadlines looming in the near future, the clock is ticking for those who have yet to apply.

"For the cohort of students who aren't as self-motivated, this is the time that we really put extra time, effort and attention into them," said Chiocchio.  "So that they have a place they will be happy next year."