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College Counselor Advice: Seniors Make Choices For Life Beyond High School
By Dave Emke
demke@post-journal.com
Spring is an exciting time for high school seniors.
Thirteen years of public schooling is coming to an end, and all the hard work and dedication will be rewarded with a high school diploma.
Then it's graduation parties, summer vacation and the feeling of freedom that comes with knowing that they will never need to attend high school again.
But ... then what?
The choices are static: enroll in community college, go to a four-year college, enter the work force or join the military. In recent years, as the importance of a college degree has grown more and more, a higher percentage of students has chosen the college route. However, given the current economic climate and the high price of a college education, numbers about which college they attend may be shifting.
A CHANGING CLIMATE
According to Emily Harvey, Panama Central School guidance counselor, the decision process for students is radically different than it was 11 years ago when she first entered the field.
''I have more kids talking about the cost and being nervous about the cost,'' Ms. Harvey said. ''They're just trying to find more out about what the financial-aid packages include and how much debt they're going to be in at the end of the four years.''
What students are finding when they crunch the numbers, guidance counselors report, is the value afforded to them by colleges with two-year programs such as Jamestown Community College and Jamestown Business College.
''JCC offers free tuition to the top 20 percent (in a high school graduating class),'' Ms. Harvey said. ''And we have more students in the top 20 percent taking advantage of that USA scholarship than what we've had in the past.''
Tina Duliba, Falconer Central School guidance counselor, says that families in her district have been in tune with the USA Scholarship for years, as well as other opportunities provided by the local two-year schools.
''At JCC and JBC, because the top seniors get to go there free of tuition, and JBC also has one that they give a tuition scholarship, many of our students stay at JCC and JBC,'' Ms. Duliba said. ''JCC offers a lot of the college credits through the high schools, and a lot of the kids get at least the first year done while they're still in high school.''
Sixty-seven of Falconer's 2008 graduates went on to two-year schools while only 29 went directly to a four-year school, according to the district's New York state report card. At Panama, 26 went to two-year schools and 13 enrolled in four-year schools. Only five of the 18 Chautauqua County school districts sent more graduates to four-year schools than to two-year schools in 2008 - and three of them (Fredonia, Silver Creek and Westfield) are located in the North County, just a stone's throw from the State University at Fredonia.
''As far economic status goes, the Falconer parents have always been really in tune to that anyway,'' Ms. Duliba said. While numbers may be increasing slightly, she said, students from her district have been choosing the less-expensive option of the nearby two-year colleges for years.
CAREFUL CONSIDERATION
While two-year colleges do offer many advantages for cash-strapped graduating seniors and their families, Ms. Harvey says it is still important for students to test the market - good deals might be out there, though not as plentiful as in the past.
''It seems like a lot of kids would always say 'Well, my parents want me to go to JCC because of the cost,''' she said. ''We in the past always would say 'Just wait and apply to a couple schools and see what you can get for a financial aid package, because you might find that it won't be that much for you to go to a four-year school. That isn't the case anymore.''
Ms. Harvey says there are ''hardly any'' four-year schools that can compete with the cost of community colleges, no matter the financial-aid package. Despite this, she said it is her department's stance to allow students to make their own decisions about finances. She says her department's place is to provide the students with as much information as possible about whatever schools to which they might apply.
''We really try not to push anything on the kids,'' she said. ''Our general advice hasn't changed. We tell the kids not to be shocked by the sticker price. We explain to them how the financial-aid system works, what their award letters will look like, what the different types of financial aid are, and how to determine what the actual cost is going to be.''
Ms. Duliba says that her school, despite the still relatively small proportion of students who choose the route, has seen a rise in the number of students who choose to attend four-year schools straight out of high school.
''They see their siblings and everybody achieving and going to some of these private universities,'' she said. ''Private universities offer a quality price when it's merit-based. And we have kids all over Chautauqua County who do exceptionally well with their GPAs and on their SATs and ACTs. They can get some wonderful scholarships.''
Ms. Duliba said that many students are working even harder than before to keep their grades high and to qualify for scholarships, knowing that may be the only way they can get themselves into the college of their dreams.
Students shouldn't feel pressured to attend a two-year school or stay out of college altogether just because of financial concerns, Ms. Harvey said.
''We always tell the kids we want them to consider all their options and look at all the information they can so that they can make the best decision for them,'' she said. ''Happiness is part of the equation.''


College Counselor Advice: Seniors Make Choices For Life Beyond High School