Seniors choose unconventional future paths
Kimberly Handel, College and Career Center Counselor, talks to students (Josephine Rivera-Hoagland, The Puma Prensa )
By Logan Cheriff, staff writer
As the 2022-2023 school year comes to a close, Maria Carrillo High School seniors are busy making plans for the future. One of the toughest choices for seniors is figuring out what to do after high school. Maybe it's attending a trade school, taking a gap year, finding a job, going to the Santa Rosa Junior College, applying to and picking a four-year school, or one of the many other available avenues. With so many valid options, it’s easy to get overwhelmed making a final call. However, our school’s seniors seem ready to tackle anything as they prepare for graduation and beyond.
As college-bound students know, universities are becoming increasingly selective every year, with UC acceptance rates dropping in 2022, leading to many students looking towards the California State Universities and at out-of-state colleges.
Senior Sean Nash voiced concern about the cutthroat nature of college applications, especially in California: “I made plenty of revisions to my essays and drafts and that was a struggle, spent about two months applying, so it was a shame when I had to be thankful to get into any college let alone one with the programs I liked.”
Along with feeling like he had to settle, Nash expressed his anxiety towards this situation, saying, “The most stressful part of the process was clicking that portal update link and seeing the rejected notice on my admissions letter. Colleges I thought were safeties ended up being more like targets or reaches.” With fewer options than Nash expected, he mentioned an alternative route. “I was thinking of TAG [Transfer Admission Guarantees] and the JC, but I know I want the four-year college experience. It’s tough to think that maybe my four years of work stressing over grades and tests have gone to waste in terms of applying to college.”
Others were happier with the outcome of their college applications and were able to share a different perspective than Nash’s.
Senior Ruiyang “Jerry” Ji was recently accepted into Cornell, an Ivy league school. He explained his process of applying and his nonchalant attitude towards college acceptance. “The first thing that comes to my mind for struggle is getting the necessary test grades and G.P.A.requirements. That's probably the hardest part.” Ji explained the cost that comes with putting your absolute all into academics and extracurriculars: “You have to think it will all be worth it in the long run and you end up having to sacrifice a lot, even your social life at times, which is tough.” In the case of extracurriculars, Ji explained he “connected with someone from L.A. who runs an organization and made websites for them. people who expect a lot from their volunteers. It was during COVID and I also did volunteer hours tutoring people.” When it comes to school Ji spent “a lot of time prepping for AP’s, probably even more than the SAT”. Surprisingly, Ji noted that when it finally came down to opening his college acceptance letters, the culmination of everything he’s worked for, he “wasn't nervous opening college decision letters. I just thought to myself, ‘Let it be.’ It’s a little cliche, but this is America–you have the opportunities and infrastructure, and you’re more privileged than people around the world. Even if you don’t get into a good college, you'll do fine.”
Some, for reasons elaborated on by senior Will Mosier decided that attending the SRJC was the right choice for them. “It’s always been an option for me because my sister and my whole family went through the JC, but I guess last year when I started doing my college research I found a lot of colleges that interested me, but not a lot that seemed worth it to attend for that amount of money.”
Money became a deciding factor in many seniors' decisions. Mosier also had an insightful personal message about making the choice. “The JC is a great place for me to get comfortable exploring myself and my interests to discover what I want to do rather than commit to a certain place or major. It’s just going to be an easier time exploring different classes without many consequences. I feel like with the TAG program I can totally TAGsomewhere I’m invested in. And if I want to do a trade I can just go somewhere. This isn’t my final destination. This is just a good jumping-off point.”
Some students have chosen a completely alternate path choosing to attend a trade school or the military. Senior Hayes Baxter has chosen to apply to the Coast Guard as a chef. “It was brought up to me by a family member,” he said. “It was just mutual connections that brought me to be introduced to the field.” Baxter explained his intrigue in cooking and how he discovered it: “I was bored over COVID so I took up at home meals where ingredients are delivered to you. My mom suggested I go into the coast guard as a cook. I thought about it for a bit and said well ok, I like cooking, and I want to make money out of it” Hayes noted a few benefits to the Coast Guard that led him to make his choice. “For one going into the Coast Guard right now I’d get a $30,000 signing bonus, benefits after I retire, and could be a veteran by 22,” he said. Even with the benefits,it was still a tough choice for Baxter. “I was thinking of going to the JC for culinary, but I decided against it. It’s still a second choice if the Coast Guard doesn’t approve me, which is totally a possibility”
With all the buzz about plans after high school, it’s easy to become swamped with decision paralysis, but no matter where they end up attending, high school seniors should be comforted not concerned by the fact that there is always a fallback or other option. Instead of feeling paralyzed by the number of choices and decisions, they should be comforted by the idea that they have so many choices at their disposal. No one should feel pressured to attend a certain university; rather, they should appreciate the potential of unconventional resources.