By J1 Reporter Maddie McGreer

ACTs, applications, acceptance. For most students, preparation for college consumes their junior and senior years, however there are many alternatives to the traditional route to consider as well. 

In the Class of 2024, only seven out of 134 seniors went somewhere other than a traditional college: three girls went to community college, and four went to beauty or cosmetology school, according to the Network’s May issue.

Why are these numbers so low? “Based on my conversations with them, they can sometimes be worried about bringing that up with a parent,” the college counselor at Marian, Mr. Ben Ascher said. But if the military or cosmetology school is something a student is excited about, it’s important to bring it up to parents.

Another reason for the low numbers might be the lack of knowledge of what the alternative paths have to offer. There are many common misconceptions; the idea that you’ll make less money or be ‘dumber’ if you don’t choose a traditional college. But that is certainly not the case.

Senior Nora Coffey looked into a few alternatives to a traditional four-year college. She talked to friends who are part of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), a program that trains students to be military officers. Coffey also looked into another program similar to ROTC. “The State Department, like the military department of the government, pays for you to go to college to get an engineering degree and then you have to work for them,” she said. But after much consideration, Coffey decided these paths weren’t for her.

Community college is an important option to consider. “If the students had any struggles while they were in high school, going to community college is a completely fresh restart,” Ascher said. If students are looking to earn more scholarship money, going to community college and improving their grades is helpful because colleges will only look at the community college grades. But if students are looking for more specific programs in college, community college is not a good option because it offers a more general education. 

“My best piece of advice is to be open to all opportunities,” Ascher said. It is crucial to be knowledgeable about all the options before making a decision about the future. Being open minded will help to find somewhere that is exactly where each high school graduate is meant to be.

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