It’s no secret that the cost of college increases every year, making it harder and harder for students pay the price. Whether you’re in the top five percent of your class, an average student working toward a scholarship, or not attending college at all, money is the number one concern of many people in terms of post-secondary education. It’s important to remember that each student, from the scholarship-seeker to the one going straight to the work force, can achieve success after high school. Each path holds it’s own value for the unique needs of each individual. Three students provide a glimpse into  the different ways people are looking at life after NHS.

The path well worked for

For some students of NHS, the response to staggering college prices is staggering amounts of Advanced Placement courses and extracurricular activities. These students, bearing hours of coursework and clubs after 2:35, prepare for college by adorning their resumes and absorbing all they can in high school. But is the leg up worth the stress and struggle of maintaining a 4.0 (or higher) GPA?

Junior Carolyn Chinni could be viewed as a star student. Undertaking four AP courses this semester while maintaining a steady job, soccer practice and youth group, Chinni still gets above average grades. But it’s not as easy as it sounds.

“Some weeks, I go four to five days without having a conversation with my parents because I don’t get to go home,” Chinni said.

Her case is unfortunately not unique. Junior Maddie Hayward, with enrollment in four AP courses and prolific work as an actress in local plays, lives a similarly hectic live which asks a lot of her.

“Time,” Hayward said. “It takes a lot of time and commitment. I think you just have to be involved and you have to put your 100% all the time.”

Hayward and Chinni are representative cases of the same archetype of student, many of their motivations coming from the pressure to earn enough credit and resume enhancements to get their way into a college degree. Not to undermine the value they have as students and their high work ethic, but the reason behind the hustle is often coping with the soaring cost of college.

“College motivates me to join groups that I’ve been told will look good on an application, even if I have no interest in joining,” Chinni said. “But I do [most] extracurriculars because I like to.”

And coping is something that a student of this caliber can have problems with. The desire for scholarships and the like can, has and will spread overachieving students too thin.

“The decision I make everyday is whether I stay up and do my homework or get some sleep,” Chinni said.

Though this lifestyle obviously has drawbacks on the students, some, like junior Dom Griesinger, who is enrolled in a whopping seven AP classes, prepare for the competitive scene of getting into college.

“I realize that I will need to stand out on paper,” Griesinger said. “But I also want to get used to the rigor. The next ten years of my life will be harder than the previous eleven.”

While it’s no secret that the rigor of college courses will ramp up for these students in the coming years, the immense amount of stress these students feel will increase as well; there is a sickening direct relationship between the two.

“There is rarely a week that I go without feeling overwhelmed by all that I have to do,” Chinni said. “I get so stressed about the future that I barely have time to focus on the task at hand.”

The path less traveled

Another alternative to the staggering college prices can lead to the decision of not going to college at all.

Assistant Principal, Beth Meguschar, believes that college debt is one of the greatest crises in America today.

“The idea that a student must graduate and go directly into a 4 year college to be successful is a myth,” Meguschar said.

Many Americans see attending college as an essential prerequisite to getting a successful job, but not some students like senior Nick Clark. Clark is going to be one of the 26.7% of high school graduates who don’t attend college, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“I’m not planning on attending college because my stepmom works at Gordon Marketing (a private insurance company) and could get me hired as a sales booker agent,” Clark said.

After high school graduation he will begin his training for the business.

“I figured I would make as much money as I would’ve if I went to college and got a business degree,” Clark said.

For students to be able pay for college, they often must take out student loans. Clark didn’t want to go in debt after college, so that greatly impacted his decision to go straight into the workforce after highschool.

“College isn’t for everyone,” Meguschar said.

The opportunities after high school for students to go directly into a job are endless. Senior Megan Lutz plans on working at Blown Away hair salon as a hair stylist.

“It definitely is beneficial that I don’t have to worry about student loans or scholarships,” Lutz said. “It allows me to focus on more independent decisions like buying my own car or getting

an apartment in the future.”

As one of NHS’s administrators, Meguschar speaks with students all the time who don’t have college in their vision for the future.

“Additional training and school can look like a lot of things,” Meguschar said. “Many businesses [such as Helmer Scientific and SMC] encourage students to come straight to work for them and to figure out what they excel at, what skills they want to develop, and then the company will help to send the student to school.”

For students who are nervous about plans after high school, have no fear, NHS will be here.

“The school is working hard to create meaningful pathways and programs for students who may not want to go to a four-year college,” Meguschar said. “And now we have Ivy Tech in our own backyard.”

Starting to think college isn’t for you? Don’t sweat it.

“My advice to students who are still unsure about what they want to do is to go get some work experience first,” Meguschar said.

If you’re still in need of some proof, Joey Brewer, a graduate of 2015, entered the work the work field right after highschool and is making money helping his dad run two

businesses.

“My dad gave me a great opportunity and to do something most 19 year olds wouldn’t be able to do,” Brewer said. “I really do enjoy it and am happy with my decision.”

The path that remains unknown

It often seems that the top five percent of students have their futures mapped out, from what career they want to pursue to the color of the walls they want in the living room of their

future homes. Even students who have decided on not going to college at all have started to plan which routes they are going to travel down. That leaves average students, stuck between

decision and indecision, wandering down an aimless path.

Jessica Senefeld, a sophomore at NHS, is hoping to find a road leading out of this path, but for many students it is hard to see a way out with the increasing stigma that accompanies if/which college one attends and, of course, the insufferable heaviness of college tuition.

“There are so many different paths you can choose to go down, and it scares me to have  to make the decision to pick one for the rest of my life,” Senefeld said.

Senefeld is one part of a large faction of students who find themselves drowning with the

options that are offered to them. And while these options may seem

abundant, the restrictions associated with the

options are even more so.

“I think college is outrageously expensive because not

everyone can afford $25,000 to go,” Senefeld said.  “I don’t think it’s fair to make everyone pay that much when it’s a

necessity in most careers.”

As time continues, more and more students are being taught that college is no longer a luxury, but something that is required in order for them to be considered successful. This way of thinking is becoming more discouraging for students who fear that without a fat wallet or a sky-high GPA, their future is not much of a future at all.

“College is important to me because without it I wouldn’t be able to pursue a career that I want and I feel like now, more so than when our parents were kids, you have to go to

college in order to be semi-successful in most careers,”

Senefeld said.

As unemployment rates plummet, college and career

competition is skyrocketing along with college tuition. Kari Richardson, Preparing for College and Careers teacher, is aware of the weight of college expenses, and has studied the where, when, why, and how of the problem.

“Most of what I read says it’s from state funding budget cuts pushing a greater share of the cost onto students and their

families,” Richardson said. “I also have seen many schools

continue to increase the amount of accommodations offered,

such as air conditioned dorms, nice weight rooms, newer

technologies, which costs more money.”

Money, scholarships, grants, and more will always be the main focus of concern for students who feel, in terms of academics and credentials, they aren’t really sticking out. But before monetary concerns are the concerns of a student’s motivation. Average achieving students normally find themselves drifting, unable to find a strong starting point.

“First of all, students need to start off by self-assessing their skill sets and strengths.  I always encourage students to take a personality test too,” Richardson said. “Once they know who they are as an individual, it will be easier to have a career cluster that matches with their skill sets.  Each career cluster has different pathways and each pathway has many different career options with different education levels. Just because I do not have the skills to be a doctor doesn’t mean I cannot be a part of the medical profession.”

The majority of students don’t fall in the top or bottom five

percent. The largest percentile of students seem to be the ones that post-secondary institutions are ignoring. Money, social pressures, and more all play a tremendous role when it comes blocking a student’s path, but eventually a student’s future is in his/her own hands. Resources like the Preparing for College and Careers class, counselors, teachers, and

tutors, can all help a lost, wandering student start to pave their own path.

“I need to change who I surround myself with, the kind of people I surround myself with, and focus more on what I want and not what other people want,” Senefeld said. “At the end of the day it is your happiness and not someone else’s.”