Overqualified graduate adjusts to college life

High school students can only remain high school students for a limited time before they venture out to live on their own. Mallory Schneider, a sophomore attending the University of Alabama is a perfect example of this. During a recent interview with Schneider, she spoke about how to better prepare yourself for the college experience.

Schneider described the newfound freedom and the responsibility of depending on yourself—not having parents, teachers, and Schoolloop there to remind you of obligations, and finding balance between all aspects of college and personal life.

When asked what she wished she knew prior to going to college, Schneider’s responded, “I wish I knew how easy high school was/is and how helpful teachers are and how many resources we were given that you don’t necessarily get in college.”

Although college is difficult for many, Schneider felt that she was prepared accordingly for the amount of work and the difficulty of it, due to the standards of Dougherty Valley. Dougherty has an overhyped vision of what college is supposed to be and often stresses the students out unnecessarily.

Another piece of advice that Schneider offered was to apply to at least six colleges and to “apply to schools that you really are interested in, not where your parents think you should go.” As well as having the colleges of your choice, she recommended applying to some you know you can get into, some that are challenging, and at least one “fun/just because” application (hers was the University of Alaska).  One of the most important steps during the college-picking process is actually visiting your top choices of colleges before deciding.

Schneider stresses the significance of making decisions based on your needs. College is for the individual attending and should be for that individual—not parents, or peers, or because the reputation of the school is highly regarded.

Everyone has their own path to take when they exit school: some travel the world, go to university, join the army, or take over a family-owned business. Wherever they find themselves in the years to come, the memories of Dougherty will find themselves ingrained in the minds of the high school alumni.