HS Juniors ready for college!? Nice Joke.
If you know the CIPLC Juniors, then you wouldn’t believe me if I said that none of them think about partying and fun when talking about college!
In a survey administered to 10 high school juniors in our school, questions were asked regarding their dream colleges, their knowledge of the application and admissions process, SAT and TOEFL level of preparation, and their view of what college life is like.
Out of the 10 juniors surveyed, 8 want to study in USA (ranging from California, to Miami, to Boston), one in Argentina, and the tenth was still unsure. If all goes as planned, the class of 2016 will have 4 engineers, 4 business people, a doctor, and one undecided.
Most of them thought that college years were “very busy,” with “little time,” “tons of studying,” and endless “Ramen Noodles of desperation.” Nevertheless, no one actually mentioned the fun, partying, connections, and friends that one can make throughout their time.
Also, they all mentioned being really prepared for their SAT and TOEFL, with an average score of 3.5 out of 5 – despite the fact that they haven’t really taken the actual tests yet! Conversely, most of them are quite unfamiliar and uninformed about the application and admissions process – one of the most complicated parts in my “senior” opinion – and have an average score of 2.3 out of 5.
What amazed me the most, however, was that all of them felt college-prepared already! As they end their first semester of 11th grade, they have an average “readiness” score of 3.7 out of 5, quite elevated in my honest opinion.
Nonetheless, the juniors have copious amounts of questions, some regarding GPA and testing requirements, others about housing and scholarships, and others about recruiting. One of them even asked with a tone of despair, “How can I make colleges like me?”
My proposed plan to make all of the numbers a 5 out of 5, and eliminate all questions, is to create a “College Workshop Day” here at CIPLC. Inspired by an annual event held in Palo Alto Senior High School (California, USA). I’m working towards having a day at CIPLC where seniors give talks and share advice and stories with juniors – and perhaps sophomores and freshmen too – about their experiences regarding college applications and admissions. The truth is that when I moved from junior to senior, I had no clue about how everything worked, what colleges wanted, and how to get into one, and I believe that a day where we work together as a community to inform younger grades will help them prepare for what will become the best years of their lives.
Misael Morales
If you know the CIPLC Juniors, then you wouldn’t believe me if I said that none of them think about partying and fun when talking about college!
In a survey administered to 10 high school juniors in our school, questions were asked regarding their dream colleges, their knowledge of the application and admissions process, SAT and TOEFL level of preparation, and their view of what college life is like.
Out of the 10 juniors surveyed, 8 want to study in USA (ranging from California, to Miami, to Boston), one in Argentina, and the tenth was still unsure. If all goes as planned, the class of 2016 will have 4 engineers, 4 business people, a doctor, and one undecided.
Most of them thought that college years were “very busy,” with “little time,” “tons of studying,” and endless “Ramen Noodles of desperation.” Nevertheless, no one actually mentioned the fun, partying, connections, and friends that one can make throughout their time.
Also, they all mentioned being really prepared for their SAT and TOEFL, with an average score of 3.5 out of 5 – despite the fact that they haven’t really taken the actual tests yet! Conversely, most of them are quite unfamiliar and uninformed about the application and admissions process – one of the most complicated parts in my “senior” opinion – and have an average score of 2.3 out of 5.
What amazed me the most, however, was that all of them felt college-prepared already! As they end their first semester of 11th grade, they have an average “readiness” score of 3.7 out of 5, quite elevated in my honest opinion.
Nonetheless, the juniors have copious amounts of questions, some regarding GPA and testing requirements, others about housing and scholarships, and others about recruiting. One of them even asked with a tone of despair, “How can I make colleges like me?”
My proposed plan to make all of the numbers a 5 out of 5, and eliminate all questions, is to create a “College Workshop Day” here at CIPLC. Inspired by an annual event held in Palo Alto Senior High School (California, USA). I’m working towards having a day at CIPLC where seniors give talks and share advice and stories with juniors – and perhaps sophomores and freshmen too – about their experiences regarding college applications and admissions. The truth is that when I moved from junior to senior, I had no clue about how everything worked, what colleges wanted, and how to get into one, and I believe that a day where we work together as a community to inform younger grades will help them prepare for what will become the best years of their lives.
Misael Morales