By: Christine Kuzminski

For all you juniors and seniors, graduation is just around the corner. In the blink of an eye, you’ll be walking across that stage and receiving your diploma. That marks the day that an old adventure ends and a new one begins. What will that new adventure be, though? Ah yes, there’s a step we’re missing: applying to college and scholarships. There are many steps to applying to college and sometimes it’s hard to figure out where you even want to go. That’s why it’s good to start acting now.

Ideally, you want to start planning at the beginning/middle of your junior year. Start by looking into colleges that you think might suit you and what you’re interested in. From there, you’ll want to schedule college visits and get an idea of what it will actually be like when you attend that school. When applying to college, it’s best to apply to more than one. You want to have a lot of options open to you in case things don’t go as planned.

Once accepted to college, you’re going to want to apply for scholarships. College can be rather expensive and any financial help you can get is going to be necessary. That’s why scholarships are so important. The Squire interviewed our guidance counselor, Mr. Demorest, to get the scoop on secondary education and scholarships.

The Squire: Why is it so important for students to apply for college and other post-secondary education?

Mr. Demorest: It is important for a student to apply if they are seeking post-secondary education. The world of work is very competitive, so it is necessary to apply.

TS: Where should students start when applying for scholarships?

MD: There are two ways: consulting guidance or going online. The guidance office has hard copies of many local scholarships. There are thousands of scholarships available to students and the most efficient way to find them is by going online to websites such as www.fastweb.com.

TS: What scholarships are offered here in our guidance office?

MD: There are too many to mention. In the guidance office, there is something we call the “green sheet” which is a packet full of local scholarships available to students.

TS: What are some good tips for finding scholarships in the community?

MD: Go to the guidance office – we carry all of the scholarships locally.

TS: Why is it so important for students to apply for scholarships?

MD: You can receive a substantial amount of money to go towards your post-secondary education.

As you can see, scholarships are easily available to all students. Although it is time consuming, applying for them can be very rewarding and worth it in the long run. That relates to post-secondary education as well, because, as Mr. Demorest said, the world is very competitive and it never slows down, so the more you know and the better your education, the farther you can go.