By Anna Raboin
Features Editor
The first word you hear at Westford Academy is “college.” Guidance literally sucks the little freshman into their system and spits them back out as a senior walking across the stage with a diploma. But in a loving way.
So, with that in mind, I would like to introduce a new column all about the college process. Each edition will talk about a step of the process or piece of advice that I deem useful.
This wonderful column will inform all you underclassmen (and maybe even upperclassmen) how a real, live student handled everything…and how, if you follow some advice, everything will turn out fine.
I didn’t do everything right. My college process happened in short bursts of too much stress, and then long periods of me saying, “Oh yeah, I should probably do that.” If I could go back in time and do it all over again, this is what I would do.
1. Don’t start freshman year already worried about college. No exceptions.
2. Don’t start worrying in sophomore year either.
3. Grades do matter, but getting a C- on your vocab quiz won’t keep you out of Harvard.
4. You don’t need to know what you want to do for the rest of your life, even when you arrive at college. So don’t worry about it now.
5. SAT’s…enough said.
6. Start college searches small: websites, word-of-mouth, brochures, etc.
7. Embrace Naviance and accept that your guidance counselor is a magical person.
8. Visit campuses!!
9. Your “Colleges I’m Thinking About” list must be created during junior Year.
10. Enjoy your high school years and don’t waste them stressing over the college process.
It’s really not that scary when you break it down and talk it out.
Ready?
Go.
