It’s the beginning of a new school year, and definitely an important one for juniors and seniors.

Junior year is a big turning point for students, and it is then that most of them start to consider what college they will attend after high school, if they choose to go. Choosing a college that is right for you is one of the biggest decisions that you will make in your life. Some students might have known for a majority of their lives where they’d like to continue their education, but others might be starting their senior year and still be trying to figure it out.

This is nothing to be too stressed about! Even if you have absolutely no idea which college or university you’d like to attend, there are plenty of resources here at HHS and in general that you can utilize.  

If you already know what career you might want to pursue in the future, you’re already at an advantage. You can look into schools that have programs you are interested in, and this can help narrow down your search. Certain colleges specialize in different fields of study, so consider researching ones that specialize in what you are interested in. You can do as much research in your free time as you would like for a school that best suits your career plans.

Consider what schools would be a good fit for you in terms of location. If you already know you want to go away for college, you will have a lot more options. But if you’d prefer to stay close by and maybe even live at home, your choices will be narrowed down a lot. Look into the schools that are nearby and see if any of them fit your needs.

On the contrary, if there’s a specific state or location that you’d like to be in, that can also help narrow down your options. Maybe you want to go away for college, but you still want to stay in-state. Or maybe you wouldn’t mind going across the country. Thinking about the location of your future school can bring you closer to a decision. 

Another aspect that you need to consider when looking for schools is how much money it will cost. If you have a list of schools that all have what you’re looking for, it might be a good idea to go with the one that will leave you in the least amount of student debt. It takes years, sometimes even decades for graduates to pay off their student loans after college. So choosing an expensive school that will leave you drowning in debt after graduation (if there are other less expensive schools that can benefit you just as much) isn’t the best idea. 

Possibly the most useful website that is available to students is Naviance, a website that provides college and career planning tools. It’s a great place to start if you have no idea where you want to go to college. Use SuperMatch, a search engine within the website that can match you with schools that best suit you. You can select specific criteria that you want in a school, such as location, school size, and the available majors. You can see a list of colleges and universities that would be the best match, with information about each one including how much it will cost and what kind of academic scores are accepted. 

There are also ways at HHS that you can discover different colleges. Keeping in touch with your guidance counselor is something you should remember to do during your time in high school. Your guidance counselor can recommend schools that might be a good fit for you based on your grades and your personal preferences.

Our school also gives students the opportunity to meet with representatives from different colleges, during scheduled visits with those schools. If there’s a certain college you are interested in that is scheduled to visit HHS, it is a good idea to sign up. You can find out which colleges are planning on visiting through Naviance and also through the Hawthorne High School Google Classroom. Sign up through Naviance twenty-four hours in advance to attend. 

These are some of the ways that you can begin your college search. Remember to take time to research schools on your own and check out their websites. Once you’ve narrowed down your options, try to reach out to those schools and see if you can schedule a tour or college visit.

Deciding where you will go after high school can be stressful, but it is also an exciting decision, so have fun with it!