The student news site of Edwardsville High School

Tiger Times

The student news site of Edwardsville High School

Tiger Times

The student news site of Edwardsville High School

Tiger Times

Know Yourself, Know Your College

With the national college decision day quickly approaching on May 1, many high school seniors are in pickle about deciding where they want to go to college. Weighing in the options, like whether one school has the better rec facility or the other has a prettier campus, can feel frivolous and frustrating if students don’t focus on what’s important.

Cut the irrelevance! Before making one of the most impactful decisions of your life, consider the following: where you go to college depends on who you are.

Why are you going to college? What does college serve to you? What aspects about college will satisfy your happiness and well-being?  In the midst of research papers, projects and finals coming up pretty soon, a small number of seniors can pencil in the time to seriously ponder questions like this. But they’re questions that should be mulled over by every college-bound student because each answer is going to be unique and personalized.

“I love learning,” senior Samantha Greytak said. “And plus, my future career requires that I get a degree. I’m going to college because I want to and because I need to.”

Greytak will be attending University of Colorado at Boulder, where she’ll be “at home” among the mountains and her brother, who happens to live right outside campus. Like other students, Greytak can see herself happily independent at a college far from Edwardsville.

“I really feel like I’m embarking on the next chapter of my life by going away to Boulder,” Greytak said. Although she is far from her parents, her brother can bridge the gap between her homesickness and her family. “Family is important to me,” Greytak said, “and I’m glad that I can have at least one link back ‘home’ while I’m in college.”

Frankly, leaving your family, friends and familiarity can seem daunting, which is why some students opt for staying more local for college.

“I realized that I needed to be close to my family, “ Senior Hannah McLaughlin said, “and I wanted good pre-med.”

McLaughlin will be attending St. Louis University, right across the river. For her, the proximity to her family heavily influenced her decision.

“SLU is it. I’m not only close to my family, but they provide an affordable opportunity for me to chase my dreams,” McLaughlin said.

Like McLaughlin pointed out, the price of college is undeniably a deciding factor for all college-bound students, but some students prioritize that below the other qualities they look for.

“I’m having trouble deciding between a couple places,” senior Brandon Ansboro said. Ansboro has been offered a full-ride scholarship to Vanderbilt University, but still carefully assesses his other options. “One place has a better program, but this other place just seems a lot happier,” Ansboro said.

The decision of which college to attend is yours to make, responsibly. Know yourself just as well as you know your potential homes for the next four years.