Here it is, and it might not be enough. Photo courtesy of class of 2023 senior presentation.
The application process for colleges is stressful for many seniors at San Luis Obispo High School. Starting an application can be scary, but it is even scarier when students realize they have no idea what they are doing.
Before twelfth grade, there is almost no talk about what is needed for college applications. As seniors in high school students are simply thrown into the hours of work it takes to apply, without even knowing what college is.
“I would say in all it took me at least 25 hours…There were just so many websites, so much information, and confusion” said senior Taylor Nelson.
At SLOHS students aren’t taught what college is and how to apply to it until senior year. In eleventh grade, counselors briefly come in to inform students if they are on track to graduate. Then, in twelfth-grade students receive a presentation on roughly when, where, and how to apply to colleges.
SLOHS students’ greatest resource is their counselors, but often the counselors are busy and by the time they are free for a meeting it might be too late.
“The American School Counselor Association recommends a student-to-counselor ratio of 1:250. At SLOHS we are currently 1:408,” said counselor Shelly Benson.
In essence, it is up to the student, and the student’s family, to successfully apply for college.
“Applying was very stressful, my dad didn’t quite understand how to do it considering it was completely different when he was in college,” said senior Taylor Nelson.
Considering this, students and their parents do not seem to be getting enough help from the administration in applying for college, and the administration is not focusing enough resources to thoroughly encourage and prepare students for college.
“I wish we could do more than that and do it well for each individual student, every student has different goals and different needs.” Said counselor Shelly Benson.
Students may be adequately informed, but each individual needs additional help from their counselor.
Furthermore, many students are not prepared for college when they are applying.
“I feel like high school doesn’t really prepare you for college. It really depends on the student and their work ethic. There are some people who never really develop a college-level work ethic in high school,” said senior Izzy Nino de Rivera-Krieger.
Students feel lost when applying to college, and a big part of it is not being taught what college is and how to apply. In school, it is brought up very rarely which can leave both students and parents in the dark during one of the most stressful times a high school student can encounter.
Many college students feel unprepared for the classes they are thrown into and wish high school gave them more prior experience.
Source: publicschoolreview.com
