As spring break draws to a close, students all over Wake County have made use of their time off. While many spent their time at the beach, or caught up on sleep at home, some Leesville students visited college campuses.
The college search can be both exciting and stressful. Some sophomores are beginning to ponder their college futures as well. Seniors have gotten into schools, juniors are taking the SAT, and sophomores are just at the door of the college search.
“I’m stressed about college because they look at your grades and honestly, looking for colleges is right around the corner,” explained Erica Jacobson, a sophomore.
Experts say that sophomore year is not too early to begin the college search. In fact, it is recommended that students begin researching colleges and getting involved in extracurricular activities. The PSAT and SAT Testing books can help students prepare for the SAT. The scores on such standardized tests are crucial in being accepted into college.
“With two older brothers in college, I’ve been thinking about college,” said Eytan Shpurker, a sophomore. “I want to stay ahead of the game, so I’ve already visited UNCG and Virginia Tech.”
Shpurker has invested in SAT test prep booklets, and also visited Appalachian State over spring break. “I just want to stay ahead of the game; it’s never too early,” concluded Shpurker.
According to a Mycenaean Twitter poll, 39% of voters think that students should begin searching for colleges during their sophomore year while 46% of voters believe that students should begin the search during junior year. Only a few voters picked freshman and senior years.
According to Campusexplorer.com, it is important that students look to improve their GPAs but also their amount of extracurricular involvement, so that the appear well-rounded to potential colleges when the time to apply comes. Sophomores should also be enrolling in foreign language classes and AP classes.
There are many things to consider, such as where to apply. To answer that question, one must consider location, financial status, and what area of study that they plan to major in. Some students want to attend a school close to home, while others want some space. Financially, of course, students have different financial opportunities, therefore, the tuition price plays a major role in where students may go.
Finally, students will most likely be most interested in the schools that are ranked highly in the course subject that said student is interested in. If a student is interested in engineering, they may be more likely to attend N.C. State than other state schools.
Of course, while most sophomores are interested in colleges, most are not actively visiting and looking. “No, I’m a sophomore,” Alvaro Hernandez stated when asked if he was looking closely at colleges. “I’ll be looking next year, junior year,” he continued.
However, it is safe to say many sophomores have thought about college and perhaps researched some universities. They simply haven’t visited the school(s) or looked closely at the details. This includes students like Ben Zahavi, who is thinking about what he may want to do with his life and is trying to keep his scope of colleges broad.
Student athletes are special cases because they may focus in on what schools they want to play at. “I might look at schools that are a little smaller, so I can play baseball,” said Tyler Bowen, a sophomore who plays JV baseball. “Depending on where you want to go, it tells you what kind of atmosphere you want to be in and what kind of people you want to be around, that’s what you need to look at if you’re an athlete.”
Students should keep an eye out for where they want to attend, but it isn’t time to be anxious yet.
