Student Perspective: The Summer Search for Colleges

Summer has always been known as a time of relaxation, vacation, and fun for people of all ages. The smell of barbeques fill the heated air, the sounds of summer concerts set the perfect soundtrack, and millions of kids across the country enjoy their reprieve from schoolwork by spending their days swimming, playing, and laughing.

But for high school seniors, summer takes on a different meaning. Besides the traditional search for a summer job, these students are also immersed in process of researching and applying to colleges. With the first application deadlines looming merely four months away, seniors are making one last mad scramble to visit and research as many schools as they can while simultaneously narrowing down the list of schools they will apply to.

Josh Cohen, who is entering his senior year at Lakeland, said that the closeness of college makes the process "overwhelming." Meaghan Pogue, also entering her final year at Lakeland, agreed the process can be trying.

"Since my major [photojournalism] is kind of hidden and not really offered anywhere, it can really quickly become an overwhelming, frustrating experience," Meaghan said. "When I can't find the info I need, or the info I want, I tend to think it's not out there, and I'm doomed."

Part of the challenge of the college hunting process is finding a school that meets the student's requirements. Cohen said he focuses on the quality of the school's Engineering program (his desired field) and also considers the demographic of the students and location of the college.

Pogue said that her major is the number one factor when searching for schools, but that she would also like to go to a school with a lively campus and good study abroad program. Again, this has created problems and complications for her and her search.

"I can't find a straightforward photojournalism major and a good campus," Meaghan said. "Either I have to get a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts degree), or a major in just journalism, or settle for a boring school."

However, Pogue said that when she does find a school that matches up with her priorities, it's an exciting experience.

Another part of the hunting process is planning college visits. Cohen has visited The University of Delaware and SUNY-Binghamton, while Pogue has visited The Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNYs-Plattsburgh and New Paltz, and Temple University in Philadelphia. Pogue said visiting schools is one of the hardest parts of the process.

Summer is often filled with college visits for juniors and seniors. One student I spoke to just returned from a college visit "road trip." This trek along the eastern seaboard included Delaware, UNC-Chapel Hill, Georgetown University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Others have made similar trips to Boston, other parts of New England, and upstate New York, with some trips even being integrated into vacation plans. The school year provides few opportunities for students to visit schools, delegating the summer to be filled with such excursions. These trips often involve long car rides and large crowds of students and families at the campuses, creating a frustrating experience for all.  The heat of the summer only adds to the tension.

However, the college hunt has not totally dominated summer for some teenagers.  Cohen said he views the researching process as a helpful distraction from his hectic summer job.

"Since I work at a camp," he said, "I feel that has taken over my summer, so it is kind of a relief to do college stuff and get away from work."

Unfortunately, most students are not as lucky, because they are bogged down by research and letters from schools.

A word of advice for underclassmen: even if you don't know what you want to major in (which is often the case), start thinking about what's important to you in a school and where you can see yourself going for four years.

If you do, you and your summers can be saved from a world of stress.