Eastern Christian does college prep right
The purpose of any school, particularly high school, is more than to just educate younger generations in the present moment, but to prepare them for the future. Part of that future is of course college applications.
Anyone who has gone through or is currently going through this process will likely tell you that it’s not exactly smooth sailing. From college visits to applying for financial aid to of course filling out the application itself, there’s a lot that goes into securing your education beyond high school. Even if you manage to get through all of the aforementioned steps without any issue, there’s still that looming worry of whether or not your college of choice will deem you worthy of attending it. That’s a lot for any one student to manage on their own, but thankfully, many high schools provide plenty of opportunities to make things go a bit smoother, and Eastern Christian is no exception.
An EC distinction
Jesse Struck, EC’s director of academic and college counseling, has spoken about how EC likes to begin with the end in mind. What he means by this is that even as far back as eighth grade, discussions are had with students in the spring about where they may potentially end up beyond high school. Once they’re actually in high school, students meet in the Academic College and Career office each year with Struck, Stephanie Lim (Associate Director of Academic & College Counseling), and Jennifer Gautier (High School Registrar) to revisit the conversation of high education and post-secondary goals. The school provides several opportunities for college prep throughout the four years of the high school experience, from various SOAR options to evening programs to campus visits to summer boot camps, all done with a very personal approach to the process.
One such opportunity is the College Financial Planning Workshop led by Bill Buffkins. His long-term approach to tackling the FAFSA and financial aid is designed to hold relevance to families of all ages, from elementary to high school. Something this program encourages is the idea of focusing on applying to schools that are more inclined to incentivise students financially since they’re more desirable to them. This program is all about teaching families how they can fit college into their current financial situation or strategy, and hopefully they’ll find some perspective and satisfaction with the various prices of college.
However, none of these will guarantee a student gets into the top college of their choice. Like most things in life, much of it is dependent on what the student is willing to put into it. One piece of advice that Struck and the rest of the ACC gives is to keep an open mind in regards to college and what to do after high school and to be careful not to narrow their options prematurely. College can be an incredible direction for many high school graduates to take their lives, serving as a great way to further their education and to find and pursue what they’re passionate about, but as hard as this may be for some to believe, it’s not the only option for after graduating high school. Everyone’s on their own path in life and just because one path is vastly different from the more common ones, doesn’t automatically make it better or worse. It’s all up to the individual to decide what’s best for their academic, personal, and spiritual growth. Regardless of the choice students wind up making in the end, it’s still highly encouraged that they take advantage of all of these resources and opportunities that are available to them as they could still prepare them for their future no matter what their final decision may be.
