As the school year begins to come to an end, seniors throughout the world, the nation, the state, and most importantly here at South High are making their decisions for this next chapter of their lives. This time is often a complete mix of emotions, from stressful to exciting and even to scary. Students are often focused on finding a plan that fits their financial, academic, and social needs, and politics has also been a factor that many are grappling with when choosing their postsecondary plans.
Going to college is an experience that some students have known they’ve wanted for a long time, from seeing siblings have great college experiences, to having future jobs in mind that a degree is needed to achieve. Clover Kjella is one of those students. Kjella will be attending Minneapolis College of Art and Design next year, where they plan to study art education. They said that the top things they looked for when applying to schools were “Community, the quality of the classes, and the art education major.” As Kjella made the decision between Kansas City Art Institute and Minneapolis College of Art and Design, they said that politics absolutely had weight in their decision. “One of the reasons I strayed away from Kansas City was because that area is not as inclusive and welcoming to certain people.” They added, “A lot more legislation has been affected in Kansas to where there’s just certain things allowed versus here where we have more protections.”
Clara Nerbonne also looked for a tight-knit community in the colleges she was choosing between, along with a residential campus and good academics. For Nerbonne, seeing her older brother love college and his experiences made her really excited about it. Heading to Kenyon College in Ohio next year, Nerbonne says politics were also on her mind. “Ohio’s a red state and very conservative in the area that [the college] is in. It’s definitely a little blue bubble, and outside of the campus, it’s like rural farmland.” Part of her decision was to get out of the city for a bit, “I almost chose this place in rural farmland to experience that during college, and then I know I’m gonna move back to a city because that’s where my values lie.”
Also making sure their decision was rooted in their values, Taibrielle Hill plans to “take a gap year and figure out what I want to do, maybe take a career exploration class or something like that.” They express that there tends to be a lot of pressure on people to go to college or figure out what they want to do as soon as they graduate or get to senior year. “But that’s not a thing for everybody. Not everybody knows what they want to do.” Hill says that they do pay attention to politics, but that wasn’t a deciding factor for where they are landing next year. “My main goal is to make music, punk music, and that’s all about politics. I’m always gonna be a punk and I’m always gonna try to keep myself educated and informed.”
Finan Schroeder decided to go the college route and hopes to be a pilot. He says, “Going to college for aviation is just a way easier path. They give you more information, and it takes time off of requirements to be a commercial aviator.” Schroeder says that healthcare was a little bit on his mind when making his decision. “But I wasn’t really paying attention to politics.”
Like Hill, Brynn Lambert will be taking a gap year. “I actually really wanted to go to the University of Minnesota. I applied and deferred it until next year. I think just realizing that I want to focus more on myself and put more energy into myself than worrying about other things really made me decide to take the gap year.” Lambert emphasized that she plans to become a Certified Nursing Assistant during her gap year, as well as focusing especially on herself. With the new government, Lambert notes, “After I found out funding might be cut, it just made me realize that college is going to be getting more and more expensive. I might as well explore and find something that I really want to do so I can put in that money and effort to explore.”
Zora Bael-Cyr also expressed worry about funding cuts. “I kind of looked into that and looked at how that would affect undergraduate [programs] at schools that were my options.” Bael-Cyr said that she kind of always thought she wanted to go to college. “It seemed like a straightforward type of option.” Going into Mechanical Engineering at Boston University, she said when making her final decisions that, “I wanted it to have engineering, [and] I also just looked at like how cool the people were and the vibes I got from them when I toured. I care a lot about the campus environment. I want [it] to feel nice.”
All in all, as seniors make it through their last weeks, there are many things to figure out and finalize. While it can all be very bittersweet, it can be good to know you aren’t alone. For incoming seniors, Hill emphasizes the importance of making sure you have all your credits, “Lock in, and don’t be too hard on yourself. Be nice to yourself.” Schroeder says it can be crucial to tour colleges if that’s where you want to end up. “If you don’t like the campus, it’s gonna suck.” Lambert highlights that sometimes you just don’t totally know what the future looks like. “Pursue what you want to do, but don’t be stressed if you don’t have an idea. Just follow your gut.”
