EMORY SCOFIELD: After high school, college is often the inevitable path that students here take: It’s a societal norm, it’s a given. While most students here know that college is in their future, which college they will attend remains a question. There are nearly 4,000 colleges in the United States today and finding the one that meets all your requirements is a nerve-wracking and strenuous process. Finding a perfect fit requires considering a schools’ majors, athletics, location and size. In order to determine which schools to apply to, the debate of which of these factors holds the most weight is a difficult one. An overlooked, almost intangible factor that is the most important for me is the societal opinion about the school.
Growing up I respected and idolized the names of Harvard, Stanford, Yale and other Ivy League schools primarily because of their presence in the media. I admired the students who attended these prestigious and elite universities, dreaming of the same success when it was finally my turn to apply to college. After entering into high school, the names University of California, Los Angeles, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, University of Michigan, Ann-Arbor and Northwestern University all similarly fell into this category of schools I dreamt of. But why? With knowing little to nothing about these schools, why was I so intrigued?
The answer is that these schools all have prestige. The qualifications of a prestigious university includes a range of components, a few being: our school community’s perception, selectiveness and popularity. Selectiveness refers to the acceptance rate of the school and, when deciding where to apply, the validation of being accepted into a selective school is a factor weighing on my mind. As for our school community’s perception, in a highly competitive school such as this one, as students post their commitments on the instagram account @peaceoutpatriots, there are high standards to reach to be deemed “impressive” or “successful.” When considering which schools to apply to, the thought of whether attending that school will be judged as good enough lingers.
Of the factors that make up prestige, popularity is the most contradictory. The schools mentioned earlier have all of the elements of prestige. For example, Harvard College is highly selective with an acceptance rate of 3%, it is validated by the school community and it is a well-known and talked about school. However, considering the first two aspects of what makes up a prestigious school, Minerva University in California wouldn’t be deemed prestigious even though it has an acceptance rate of 1%. This specific case highlights the idea of a prestigious school as outrageous, since it relies too heavily on the beliefs of others.
As unfortunate as it is, the opinion of the community is a deciding factor for me as I look to apply to colleges. Since college applications are right around the corner, counselors and parents often console students with the idea that they will find a school that is their “best fit” or is the “perfect match” for them. While I should focus on this mindset, the validation of attending a reputable school continues to be the most important factor for me when considering colleges.
While I wish our society didn’t put the pressure on students to get into these schools simply because of their name, it has become a standard. The college process should be about finding a place where you can succeed and reach your fullest potential but it has been engraved in my mind and my peers’ minds that our goals should only be to reach these recognizable schools. Though I hope that as I grow I can change this outlook, and society can alter these standards, for now, the prestige of a school remains the most important factor to me.
HAYLEY GOTTESMAN: Although a school being well-known is a plus because it could foster a sense of relatability with my peers looking at similar schools, whether the school is in a rural, suburban or urban area is the most important factor for me. I am a chronic wanderluster of cities, big or small. And I have always been mesmerized by the hustle and bustle while being curious about the unique lives of the individuals living there. While looking into different colleges, the school being in or by a city is important to me because it provides valuable enrichment to my learning inside the classroom.
Coming from a suburban area, going to college in a similar suburban area would allow me to feel more at ease when adjusting to college. Although I know my life will become drastically different from how it is now, being in an area similar to what I have always known will allow me to cultivate a sense of normalcy faster. As someone who loves to be busy, when looking into schools in rural areas, I can envision myself growing bored easily.
While exploring colleges, it is important to me to strike a balance between having a new experience and being too far away from home. Living in the same house and same area my entire life has made me eager at times to move away and explore a new city. At the same time, my family lives locally so the distance from Maryland is a factor when looking at schools. For example, I think I could benefit from having an entirely different experience from what I have known up to this point if I went to a school on the West Coast. But, I know I would dread the long plane ride and get homesick if I was stuck at college over long breaks while my peers were home, visiting their families.
The climate of a school has the capacity to drive and deter students to specific schools. Students may opt to apply in-state and embrace bipolar Maryland weather. Those yearning for warmer weather might apply to schools in the South and along the West Coast. Others preferring the cold will apply to the diverse options the Northeast provides. Although location may not be the most immediate factor students have for liking specific schools, the weather impacts the overall feel of the school.
By committing to a school, students are joining both a school community and the local community. Next year, the immediate outpour of approval by my peers on a @peaceoutpatriots post might feel empowering, but for me, it is more important to me to be realistic regarding what areas fit me best to better anticipate myself there.
