New Trier prepares students for college. But are we given much support to pursue other routes, or even discover our own passions before the college process begins? College prep is handled by the Post-High School Counseling (PHSC) office, which New Trier gloats about. Eight counselors are employed, each assisting approximately 125 students through the post-high school process. Unfortunately, students do not spend nearly enough time with their counselors to build a strong relationship. But don’t worry; the PHSC uses a four year post-high school plan.
Year 1: Freshmen are supposed to discover how much academic rigor they can handle. They are also supposed to find a few extra curricular activities that they can focus on specifically to gain leadership and responsibility. But, freshmen are not like the Greek Titan, Atlas; they cannot hold the weight of the heavens on their shoulders. By focusing on a select few, especially the time consuming athletics and performing arts, students are left with no choice but to skip experiencing all the clubs available at New Trier.
Year 2: The weight of college begins to grow on students’ shoulders sophomore year. Post-High School Counselors are introduced to adviseries, pre-ACT and SAT prep begins. Each student is even required to take the PLAN test, which provides a rough estimate of what a student’s ACT score will be.
Year 3: Junior year, college prep and pressure reaches its maximum level. ACT and SAT tests are taken almost every month. Research into specific colleges begins, starting the quest to find which university fits as perfectly as Cinderella’s shoe. Second semester juniors start meeting with their counselors, who use statistics from Naviance when looking at a student’s schools. We also should not just receive a binder with suggestions and timelines. However, the guidance for the college search process should come from in depth conversations with counselors, not from a 3-ringed binder that many students do not even bother to open.
Year 4: Seniors find stress early in the year with college essays. Some students even find their English teachers more helpful with application essays compared to the PHSC department. After applications are done, seniors find a weight has been lifted off their shoulders. Seniors become “Second Semester Seniors.” They slack off. Grades dip a bit. But what does this say about the role of high school?
Our care for school ends when the last application is sent out and first semester grades are finalized. We have been nurtured by New Trier and the “Four Year Plan” to care more than we need to about our post-secondary plans.