College Go Week has come and gone, days of dress up, competitions, and college interwoven into the minds of the students who participated. These days, while not large in impact, have a deeper meaning than the average student would actually care about. Is it the dress up, the subliminal (but obvious) college advertising, or is it a way to make students more interested in college?
Now, I could go on a harrowing quest to learn more about the history and importance of New Castle’s College Week, but I’m a high-schooler with the attention span of a goldfish. So instead, I did what every student in school has ever done; ask a teacher for answers. I interviewed Karlee Winkhart, the 9th/10th grade Career Coach, who gladly took the time to help inform me about College Week. So without further ado, let’s talk about the subject of college!
Now, when it comes to College Week, one may wonder, “Why though?” A fair question that could be figured out with a little bit of common sense. Winkhart states, “The purpose is to help educate students if they are interested in going to college.” Now that we know why, what about how? How will they educate students that already don’t care about school?Apparently, by hyping up college, teachers showing their appreciation, and students going on trips to see college.
You may have noticed all the teachers putting up boards, or little forms of appreciation for the school they went to. An example would be right outside our Spanish teacher’s classroom, Barb Sorrell. She has a very colorful board showing off Ball State. Teachers like her, are trying to help students find excitement and interest in college.
In case you are wondering, promoting students to learn how to further their future at college is a good thing. Especially because of the recent decline of students going to college. According to numbers from BestColleges, total enrollment has dropped by 10% since 2010, which is about 2 million people. Speaking of statistics, did you know that 73.6% of statistics are made up? (A great example would be that 73.6% of statistics are made up?)
A couple of weeks ago, we released a survey about how many students at NCHS wanted to go to college, and what they wanted to do. As of writing this, 123 of 987 (according to the NCHS website) students had taken this survey, that’s about 12% of the school that actually reads their email. (That’s still more than I thought) Around 75% of people stated that they wanted to go to a 4-year college. Now, not wanting to go into a 4-year college is not a bad thing, in fact, some occupations can be successful without having a bachelor’s degree. A good example would be computer programming.
Understandably, some may not want to attend college because of expenses or wanting to do something that doesn’t require an extended level of education. People not wanting to go to college (depending on the reason) is not a bad thing. However, if the possibility of going to college stands, then it is highly recommended that one should go. At college, you can make new connections, learn the things that you want to learn, and experience a time in your life that will shape you in the future.
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