Have you thought about college? Everyone’s been asked to implore their future studies at least once, whether by a teacher, coworker, or parent. For most high school students, aside from fixating on the hottest gossip, latest trends, and new part-time jobs, college and secondary education is something everyone’s put at least a second of thought into.
Amongst all the college recommendations and SAT prep, there’s one thing no one really tells you for sure: when do you start planning for all of this? Every curriculum is different in terms of when schools begin to urge their students to look into future options, but most fall in at around junior year, or 16-years old. Though, is this enough time for everyone?
To find out more, I interviewed four different people of four different backgrounds to get a concise, unbiased final opinion. My four interviewees included Oz Lopiccolo, a current Senior at Westwood Regional High School, Pamela Duffus, one of Westwood Regional’s art teachers, Kenneth Keenan, my father, and Jordan Hembrough, owner of Westwood-based toy store, Hollywood Heroes.
When choosing my interviewees, I wanted to keep perspective and background in mind. Some people come from families that prioritize college and have huge saving funds for their kids, while others prioritize pursuing other options like military or trade schools. I asked my interviewees the same set of questions, regardless of their current stance in education.
My first and main question was simple; What age should students start preparing for college? The results I got for this question were surprisingly different. I had always heard your junior year of High School was the prime time, but others had a different say.
“Uh, it’s never too early- no just kidding, don’t say that. I think in High School you should start thinking about it in 9th grade, and then as a sophomore you should start to get more serious…” says Duffus, who herself started planning for college around Junior year.
“I mean, I knew I always wanted to go into the military, so…I never really looked into colleges. I got some information from some friends about how good Ramapo or Montclair were, but that’s…yeah, that’s about it.” says Mr. Keenan, who opted for four-years of Air Force service after graduating Westwood Regional in 1991.
Whenever people start preparing for college, it is up to their jurisdiction and personal comfort, but my interviewees gave their own personal opinions on how much time a person would need to prepare, and how this could affect their timing of when to start. Lopiccolo says that, “to be quite frank, I would say it depends on the person, and how locked in they are.”
Hembrough had other opinions on the matter, contradicting Lopiccolo’s statement with a hard-on answer. “It really shouldn’t take you more than a year,” says Hembrough, “If you really just put your mind to it all the planning shouldn’t take a month. It’s just waiting for replies after sending out your applications. Of course there’s gonna be setbacks, obviously, but you know? It’s not that difficult.”
Despite the contradicting responses that I got from my interviewees, all of them gave one final piece of advice that they all said to be paramount when planning for college; be social. Keenan, Lopiccolo, Duffus, and Hembrough were all interviewed separately, and gave the same exact answer. They all believed that college was about experience, and being social.
“You just won’t thrive in an environment like that by yourself,” says Keenan, “some of my best friends were made in the military by just being open with people. Don’t shut yourself in.”
“You need connections. You need to know someone who knows someone, who also knows someone. It’s not just about being social in a friendly aspect but also trying to stay ahead of the game. Be an opportunist.” says Hembrough.
Whenever anyone’s ready, however, is truly up to them. Some people may never feel truly ready but will still have to persevere through. Plan your future accordingly, and don’t sweat the small stuff.