Before becoming a senior, I thought that applying to college was going to be a very stressful endeavor in my last year of high school.
The way that my family, friends, and anyone in general talked about the Common App and scholarships made it seem like applications were going to be confusing and take a lot of time and effort. While my process so far hasn’t been a cakewalk, I’m still surprised as to how confident I feel right now compared to the stress and frustration I thought was going to come my way.
The number one thing that has made me feel confident about applying to college is the way that MC counselors approach the admissions process.
Starting in the third trimester of one’s junior year leading up until the end of first trimester of their senior year, an MC student’s schedule is changed to accommodate for a weekly meeting during their Theology class, usually on a Wednesday. Since every student at MC takes Theology for all four years, no one is left out from the information given during this important forty-five minute period.The meetings start off very basic with just simple conversations about what universities one wants to study at, possible major and career interests, and even whether or not one wants to go to college.
“When I got to Mount Carmel, there was not a weekly college planning period,” says College and Career Counselor Mrs. Kristina Luster. “What I found during my first year was that in doing individual meetings with students, I would meet with them, and then some students would come back and meet with me many times, and some students wouldn’t come back at all.”
Now that MC ensures that all students receive weekly help regarding their future, confusion and questions have become less likely to arise.
“What post secondary options are there? How do I prepare? How do I write a brag sheet? How do I write a resume? How do I come up with a preliminary college list? How do I create a common app?”
These are just a few of the many questions Mrs. Luster would be consistently asked before the weekly meetings were implemented, and while they’re still asked every year, it’s nice to have a built-in class period in which students can ask them.
“These class periods gave me a direction,” says senior AJ Stanislawski. “They guided me along the admissions process and also through the Common App. I discovered which schools I have direct admissions to, and which one’s I don’t. It made it a lot less stressful, you know, all those words and forms and stuff like that.”
Like most seniors, AJ and I have already applied to plenty of schools as the counselors– Mrs. Luster, Mrs. Vanessa Miguez, and Ms. Rachel Jackson–led us to apply on the Common App before November 1, which was the deadline for all schools with early action application options.
By applying with early action, the senior class is more likely to find opportunities for scholarships, acceptances, and overall just be ahead of the ball game.
While college is the most common post-secondary option for students graduating from MC, not everyone is looking to further their education next year.
“I’m going to go into the trades,” says Thomas Lebel, an MC senior. “I don’t want any student loan debt, and I also just don’t think college is for me.”
There are plenty of other students like Lebel who were unsure about applying to college but received guidance from faculty members that helped them make an informed decision about their future.
“What helped me come to my decision about the trades is the weekly meetings we have with Mrs. Luster,” says Lebel. “I learned about the opportunities I get with all the benefits. It seemed like the right fit long-term.”
These weekly meetings have allowed for students who were on the fence about going to college to learn more about what else is out there for them once they have a high school diploma.
Having these weekly meetings is very beneficial for all, and I’m not the only one that believes this.
“I thought they helped me a lot,” says senior John Justic. “Mrs. Luster really kept me on track and she made sure that I was staying focused with the deadline approaching. Her and Miss Jackson were overall a big help.”
Applying to schools was stressful for me, but not even being sure if one is going to college can be a whole lot more stressful. These periods with counselors have made us students feel like we have a plan mapped out for the future.
“These periods are to make sure that you guys are on the right track,” says Mrs. Luster. “I think and hope they do just that.”
