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Are high school seniors prepared for college?

College Survey Given to High School Seniors Startling results were found after a survey about college was given to seniors enrolled in Watkins Glen High School in late October. The survey focused on whether students wanted to go to college, the role finances play, how prepared students felt, if they had taken standardized tests, if they had visited any colleges or shadowed any careers, if College Information Day at Arnot Mall was helpful, whether students knew where they wanted to go to college, and whether they have chosen a major. All together 25 students were surveyed, about a quarter of the entire senior class. This is a critical time for most seniors as they are busy applying to colleges and planning their futures. Results show students may not be as ready as they need to be and may not be prepared enough for college decisions by the time they’re seniors. Results show that 96% of the high school seniors want to go to college. On the other hand, 56% haven’t shadowed any careers of interest and 32% haven’t even visited any colleges. These results explain why 36% don’t know what they want to major in when they go to college and why 36% don’t know where they want to go college. At this critical stage for applying to college, many students are behind. Many students are also behind in taking standardized tests required for entry to most colleges. For example, 48% of students haven’t taken the ACTs and 12% still haven’t taken the SATs. Many college students and educators recommend taking the SATs and/or ACTs before your senior year of high school. When asked if students felt prepared for college, a shocking 16% indicated that they didn’t feel prepared at all. Most of the seniors, at 68%, felt semi prepared; and only 16% did feel prepared. This shows that there are as many students that don’t feel prepared as those who do feel prepared. Not one senior stated that they felt very prepared for college. High schools may need to take more steps to make students feel prepared for college by the time they’re seniors. As mentioned earlier, 96% of high school seniors at Watkins Glen High School want to go to college. However, over half of the students surveyed, 52 % of them to be exact, stated that finances are a factor as to whether they go to college. Money therefore may be what keeps students from receiving the education they need to pursue their goals. In the survey, the seniors were asked whether College Information Day held at Arnot Mall was helpful. Results show that 48% of the seniors indicated that it was helpful. On the other hand, 16% stated that they didn’t go. If the high school made a better effort to make students aware of these helpful opportunities and make sure that they attend, more students may feel more prepared and better able to make college decisions. As a high school senior, I can comply with these results. I myself have been stressed over trying to make life long decisions about my future education. I wish my school had given me more guidance in my younger years as to thinking about the decisions I’m making now. I think all schools need to make students more aware of what’s to come as high school nears to an end and what they need to do to be ready. For example, looking back, I wish I knew to take the SATs early, start looking at colleges, and find majors of my interest.

Public Comments

1. Your statistics are on the high end of the spectrum! Unfortunately schools have little latitude as to what they can do. The cirriculum is dictated by the School Board, often a poltically polarized group of snobs who know nothing about nothing and don't care. Some teachers do prepair kids for college and more than half their students MOAN because of the work load. What your view detailed didn't even touch on what is going to happen AFTER you get there and discover the WORK LOAD and the fact MINIMAL instructions are given. There is no hand holding in college. The teachers is not going to give you ultra detailed instructions. You are expected to use your brain, something high schools don't train you to use much. High Schools DO prepair you for the actual work, if you paid attention and if you get B's or better! High schools make you take Algebra, Geometry, Trig and optionally Calculus, Statistic. You have to take Biology, Chemistry or Physics You have to take Civics All of those you will take again your first year in college and it will be harder in college for they will go past your high school classe in one or two weeks and move on from there. In Physics you might get ONE equation on two black boards and discuss that equation for a whole year. It will be nothing but Calculus, differential equations, trig functions and Algebraic factoring. IN reality Only 5-10% of the students will GET into a college of their choice and it has ONLY to do with the WORK you did on your own in school. It means you got As, took AP courses, was on Student Government, the Debating Team, Basketball, Track, the Year Book. 90% of these will survive 4 years. Of course their tuitioin will be $35-45K a year and they will be $150,000 in debt in student loans. 20-25% will squeek into a State College and of them 40% will drop out after the first year when they find it's 3 times harder and more demanding than high school and there's no time for fun or goofing off. In college they DEMAND you know every bone in the body. Every isomer of the TANE chains. How to simplify in alegra. It IS demanded of you! 10-30% will end up in a JC or CC because they lack the grades and many of them will succeed here, because a JC or CC is like a really neat highschool. It's high school with smoking outside on campus, coffee machines, no one shouting at you with a megaphone to not walk on the grass or to get off the wall. You don't get sent to administration for detention if you are 20 seconds late to class. 40% goes straight into the work force.