Do you know what you want to do after high school? If not, this article might help give you some ideas. Your plans for after high school are one of the most important decisions you are going to have to make in your life.

Senior Emma Slusser said, “The most important factors in picking a college are the distance, the student to teacher ratio; if you are doing athletics, the coaches and team culture, the student life/ involvement in activities, and room and board.”

Slusser plans on attending Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio to study psychology and is planning on staying an extra year to get her graduate’s degree. 

Slusser said, “I will also be playing soccer while I am there.”

Touring colleges is a very big part of preparing for college.

Slusser said, “I toured Marietta, Lynchburg, and Virginia Wesleyan. I loved the Marietta campus so much. It made it so easy to make my decision to go there because the people who did my tour made me feel like I was meant to go there.”

Senior Lindsay Mack is planning on majoring in Integrated Business and Engineering or Management Engineering because “it is a great combination of my passion for both organization and STEM.”

Mack said, “Purdue is my top choice. I love the campus and everything about it. University of Kentucky is also a very beautiful campus and is my second choice. Other than that, I have also toured Penn State, Pitt, and Miami of Ohio and am applying to all of them as well. I toured the University of Cincinnatti and absolutely hated and am not considering it at all anymore.”

There are many ways to start preparing for college. It depends on what grade you are in for what you should have done by now. 

Junior Evan Haas said, “I have looked at colleges, gone on tours, and did soccer camps.”

Haas is planning on going to college to study exercise science to go into physical therapy. 

However, seniors have to do a few other things to prepare for college as well.

Mack said, “ I am almost done with my college applications. I have toured all of my top schools. Additionally, I have also been in touch with all of the twirling coaches at my top schools.”

Slusser said, “I submitted my application, have been in contact with my college coach, and started thinking about who my roommate may be.” 

Trying to find the right college for you is also a very important decision to make. This can be challenging for some people. 

Haas said, “My goal is to go to Highpoint for soccer.”

Most freshmen are very nervous and overwhelmed with everything, since freshman year is when your grades start to count and you have to begin planning for college. 

Haas said to freshmen, “High school is a lot of work, study a lot, don’t get behind, focus on school first then other things after, enjoy yourself.”

However, freshmen are not the only ones that are nervous. Many juniors are nervous because that is when things get really serious. You have to decide what colleges you want to apply to, go on tours, take the PSATs, SATs, ACTs, and AP tests. 

“ Don’t stress yourself out with everything. Junior and the beginning of senior year are genuinely a lot to handle with tons of life altering decisions. But just take one thing at a time and worry about what is most important in the moment. Everything will eventually work out how it is supposed to.,” Mack.