禁漫天堂

禁漫天堂鈥檚 education and career counselors have assisted thousands of young people with their college applications over the years. They all have stories of going the extra mile to help a student meet a deadline, overcome an obstacle, or celebrate a success. Here鈥檚 what some of them had to say about applying to college.

Why apply? Why not?

A lot of young people don鈥檛 apply to college because they鈥檙e uncertain about their future or worried about finances. 禁漫天堂 Education and Career Counselor Eric Lofstedt, who works with both high school students and adult learners, tries to turn that logic around.

鈥淚 always tell people, you apply because you never know what the outcome鈥檚 going to be,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t might be a financial reach, but you don鈥檛 know how much aid you鈥檙e going to get.鈥�

Applying makes it real

禁漫天堂 Education and Career Counselor Lily O鈥機onnor works with a lot of high school students who are thinking about college but aren鈥檛 sure where to begin. Maybe they鈥檙e the first in their family to apply, or they鈥檙e dealing with too many pressing problems to look that far ahead.聽

By giving students a place and time to work with her on their applications, she helps bring the idea into focus. 鈥淲e see a lot of students who are scared to even look at a college application,鈥� she said. “We just sit down with them and guide them through it.鈥�

Applying is committing 鈥� to yourself

To be clear, you鈥檙e not committing to any particular college when you fill out an application 鈥� nor are you even committing to going to college. What you are doing is committing to your future. And that鈥檚 an important step, said 禁漫天堂 Senior Education and Career Counselor Karen Collins.聽

Karen remembers working with a young person who wasn鈥檛 sure he had the grades for college. She encouraged him to apply to community college, and he went on to complete school and start his own business.聽

聽鈥淚 kept telling him, 鈥業f you want to go to college, go to college,鈥欌�� Karen said.

At the college crossroads? Here鈥檚 some insider advice

So you鈥檙e ready to apply to college. Or you鈥檙e thinking about applying. Or you鈥檙e thinking about thinking about applying. Wherever you are on the journey 鈥� it’s okay! College is a big decision. To help you with it, we reached out to some of our partners around the state to share their insights and experiences. Here鈥檚 what they had to say.

Doug Cullen, Manager of Career Services, Pinkerton Academy
With little money saved and little understanding of how to fund his education when he applied to college, Doug Cullen decided to attend school at night and work full-time. It was tough, but it paid off. He met his future employer during one of his night-school classes, and that first job led to a 23-year career in high tech. The employer also ended up paying for most of his undergraduate work. Today, Cullen helps young people make college and career choices that will pay off. His advice: 鈥淐arefully research your college choices not only through the lens of major, but also using a perspective of ROI (return on investment),鈥� he said. 鈥淢ake every effort to gain field/work experience in a career related to your desired college major in advance of going to a college, possibly even in advance of applying to a college. This experience will help confirm the desired major is a good fit and potentially strengthen your professional network.鈥�

Julie Lanman, Director of Admissions, Saint Anselm College
Julie Lanman wasn鈥檛 sure she wanted to go to college. 鈥淣ow, I work at a college and I can鈥檛 imagine doing anything else,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 am so grateful for all of the experiences I was given while in college.鈥� In her role, Lanman knows how overwhelming it can be to decide on a future pathway. 鈥淭here is a ton of information coming at you from all different directions,鈥� she said. 鈥淔ind a way to keep yourself organized and on a schedule.鈥� Also, don鈥檛 be afraid to reach out for help. 鈥淎dmissions counselors love working with students. It鈥檚 honestly the best part of our job,鈥� Lanman said. 鈥淐all or email us. We want to hear from you.鈥�

Kenneth Ferreira, Vice President of Institutional Planning and Effectiveness, Student Financial Services, Franklin Pierce University
Kenneth Ferreira鈥檚 mom graduated from college when he was in the 7th grade. 鈥淚 followed in her footsteps on the path to a better life,鈥� said Ferreira, who has been working in student aid for 25 years. 鈥淚 could not afford to live on campus and so I had to work and commute. I worked two, sometimes three, part-time jobs.鈥� Now Ferreira helps students who face similar challenges. 鈥淣ot all students take the same road to get to the end goal,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ometimes paths look different and require creativity.鈥� Once, Ferreira worked with a student who was living in a homeless shelter and had no help from his family. 鈥淲e had to get very creative not only for the student to live on campus year-round, but also to pay the bill as an independent student who had been left to fend for themself,鈥� Ferreira said. 鈥淭oday, this student is a successful mental health counselor who specializes in youth. Being a small part of that journey is an absolute highlight of my career.鈥�