After School Education and College 

Tips, Experiences, and Advice 

By Lara Palmer 

As the school year continues, seniors will be thinking about their futures. Are they going to college, another schooling program, or the work force after graduation? There are so many resources on the internet to research on how to apply to college, tips for the future, and experiences to learn from.  

To get some insight on this topic and get some important advice, staff members were asked for their thoughts. 

Ms. Reilly, one of Lenape Tech’s guidance counselors, attended two colleges to pursue a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. She was asked what her experience at these schools were like and responded with, “I had no idea what I wanted to study. I took numerous elective courses to try and determine what I liked and what I didn’t. I ended up taking a psychology course, thought it was interesting, and after taking additional psychology courses, decided to major in the subject area.” She went on to mention what it was like to live on campus, “I was able to enjoy becoming more independent and responsible as college allows you the ability to ease into these traits compared to jumping right into “the real world.” She gave some great advice just by talking about her own experience. 

Ms. Reilly was also asked to give some advice for the current seniors, “Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself and step out of your comfort zone. This is how you grow as a person and find out who you really are! If you make mistakes, learn from them and keep on keeping on. Also, don’t let the cost of college, additional education, or training scare you. There are resources out there to assist you such as financial aid and scholarships. If you don’t know what those are, come see me!” Her statement is really something that this year’s seniors should take to heart, going out of their way to get out of their comfort zone and trying something new could always lead to a great future. 

For a second take on college, Ms. Schoen was asked for her experience as well. She attended BC3 and Slippery Rock University and earned a Bachelors and Masters degree in education. “Attending both establishments helped me to obtain my degrees in education to pursue a career as a teacher,” she said, “I loved attending BC3 because it was really cheap, and I was able to pay, without a loan, for all of my education while at BC3. The con to going to BC3 was the atmosphere. It didn’t “feel” like college, because in my case I went to campus, took my classes, and left to go to work. Slippery Rock University felt like college. It has a large campus, you can live on and off campus with other college students, and there are a lot of student organizations and activities on campus to partake in.” Ms. Schoen’s experience is another that students can learn from. 

When asked what advice she would give the seniors, she said, “My advice is pursue your ambitions and interests that give you your greatest joy, try different things because you live only once, take opportunities, don’t be afraid to fail, get involved, work hard, but also enjoy your time with family, friends, and all of your loved ones.” This is something that all students can appreciate and learn from, not just the ones graduating. 

The seniors thinking about their futures during this year are sure to have plenty to research and learn. Thankfully, the advice from two people who went through something similar and have the understanding and experience of going to a secondary education after graduation should help and give some ideas to these students.