by Donovan Van ’12

Here are some factors you may consider in your college selection process: finances, proximity to home, programs and the rigor of the program. However, sources like College Prowler do not always produce the most accurate data. For actual facts and statistics, the college’s website is the best bet. Mr. Guerrero has cautioned students to take the information on College Prowler with a grain of salt. He, instead, believes that the campus visit is the best way to determine the right college for you. These visits are invaluable. As ludicrous as it sounds, the touring the campus is really similar to picking a vacation spot.

When you choose a destination for a vacation you take into account the experiences you can have there: the weather, how much it will cost, if what you are looking for is present there, the people you may encounter, and overall, just making sure you will have a good time. The same goes for college visits. On a visit you must take into account all of these factors. Prestige is not everything. Understand that you are going to spend the next four years at the institution, and you must be comfortable. All in all, just try to make the college selection process fun; it is already stressful enough. It actually turns out that you will learn a lot about yourself by going through this process. But before you select your colleges, you must make sure you keep your grades up. This task is often hampered by the infamous disease that strikes high school students all around the country: Senioritis.

Senioritis most frequently infects seniors during the last few days of Winter Break when they are about to go back to school. The “disease” sets in due to multiple causes in a senior’s last year in high school. By the end of Winter Break, seniors are finished with most of their college applications and their first semester grades cannot be changed at that point. Therefore, the mentality that nothing that they do in the future would contribute towards their admission into their first choice colleges takes hold. This attitude leads towards general laziness: basically, when the most menial academic tasks become incredibly arduous. While discussing the matter with college counselor Mr. Guerrero, his opinion on the matter was direct and to the point. “You already know what is expected from you. You’ve been at an institution for four years”, says Mr. Guerrero who also adds, “You need to own the choices you make for yourself. If you’re going to conjure up some disease called Senioritis as the reason for you to start making poor choices, you really need to take a step back and revaluate your situation.” The idea is that Senioritis is just an excuse for laziness. If you are a senior, and you find yourself in this position, snap out of it because college is right around the corner. Second semester for seniors is really the best time to build good study habits because once in college, there is no one to supervise. Thus, in the worst-case scenario, senioritis will not cease once senior year ends but continue into the vital years of college and possibly beyond as well. Thus to you Seniors, the work load will be much heavier now and if you prepare yourself poorly now, you will be ill equipped to handle the transition smoothly.