Senior year, the last year of high school, is a year full of mixed emotions for all. Whether or not the seniors admit it, leaving the safety of high school, and moving on to the next chapter can be very stressful and nerve wracking. Having to apply to and choose a college or career, and figuring out what you will do for the rest of your life and simply feeling like you are growing up can quickly become very isolating. However, the seniors at Wheeling Park are not alone in the slightest. Our very own counselors go absolutely above and beyond when it comes to setting up their seniors for success.
Finding a college that fits you is a task that hangs heavy on your shoulders of all upcoming graduates. The counselors offer many opportunities for seniors to exercise at different colleges, in hopes that you can find a campus that suits you.
Ms. Mathieu is a counselor at Wheeling Park who is heavily involved in assisting seniors in all possible ways, “we try to take different field trips to get students exposed to colleges. We’re going to West Liberty on October 9th. We will tour the campus, and we even eat lunch in the cafeteria which is always fun,” said Mathieu.
The trip to West Liberty is a field trip offered to seniors only. However, getting ahead in regards to exposure to college campuses is not impossible during Junior year. “We have a field trip to Fairmont State that is available to the Juniors so that they also have the opportunity to consider their future plans,” said Ms. Mathieu.
However, the counselors also offer opportunities for those who wish to seek college alone. “A lot of opportunities for them so this year we have college reps that come into Wheeling Park, where juniors and seniors can sign up to meet with them so that they can learn more about all the different colleges that are out there so it’s really good to start learning about things we also offer every Friday application assistance during club period,” stated Ms. Mathieu.
College applications are also a major point of stress for the seniors. Not only must you choose a college but that college must also choose you too. The constant concerns regarding GPA, credits and contents of your application bounce around during the application process. The counselors at Wheeling Park are happy to assist with the entire process.
“Where any application that you’re working on whether it’s for a college, for a scholarship you need to register for the ACT, SAT you want to fill out the promise we most all of us are available on Fridays or during the club period,” said Mathieu.
“We have a school group for the senior class where we push a lot of information for Seniors, we also have a scholarship group that we have all of our seniors join. We also have college application help for every activity period where students can come down with their chromebook and we can help them to sign up for the SAT and the ACT. We help apply to college, we can help with financial aid and we will sit with you are help you when you have questions,” said Mrs. Short.
The stress of senior year seems much less stressful when you realize what amazing resources our very own counselors are. If you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed about your future, remember that the counselors are available and are willing to help.
