Graduating high school seniors head off to college

 Kate McCormick and her twin sister, Meghan, will head off to Cornell University this fall after graduating from Canandaigua Academy at the end of the month.

Kate hasn’t yet declared a major, but she’s leaning toward studying something related to psychology. When she took AP psychology in high school, she said, she was “fascinated by the mind.”

She’s also considering English. “I’ve always loved to read,” she said. “Maybe I could write psychological thrillers,” she joked, blending her two major interests into one potential career.

But she knows that’s a long shot. Really, she thinks she’d like to go graduate school to study psychology and pursue a career at a university.

“But who knows,” she said.

Meghan has declared a major: English. “It’s always been my favorite subject,” she said. She thinks her future might include teaching English at the college level. Like her sister, she’ll need graduate school for that career path.  

Neither sister’s experience is unique. Across the country, high school seniors are preparing for an uncertain next phase.  

Decision Day has passed, and students have chosen their fates for next fall. But now, as the end of their high school careers approaches, many are still trying to nail down a course of study.

That means weighing the job market with their passions and interests.

“A lot of parents and students ask about that the most,” said Lisa Rounds, a counselor at Canandaigua Academy. In many cases, she said, the decision comes down to economics.

At private universities like Cornell and at SUNY colleges, students have to declare a major at about the junior year mark. But no matter what the price tag, major trends are mostly universal. Private colleges like Cornell can cost almost $60,000, while a SUNY school like Geneseo can cost one third that amount. Top majors last year across the board included a significant sprinkling of liberal arts, with subjects like English and psychology securing their places in top-ten lists.

Rounds said when it comes to choosing a major, “you want to make sure you’re not wasting your money,” she said. Families ask, “is this the most bang for my buck?” said Rounds.

Beyond college

A question many students vying for liberal arts diplomas hear is what will they do with that degree after college graduation — especially in a bad economy.

Unemployment is high, and some professions have taken more of a hit than others. But that doesn’t seem to be affecting what students want to study.

Stacy Wiley is the director of career development at Geneseo. She said, “Despite all the media focus on certain fields being better than other fields, students still choose something they enjoy and that they are competent and good at.”
And according to Wiley, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Katie Barry says majoring in something broad, like English, is actually a good thing. She’s the editor of NextStepU’s five-times-yearly publication, which helps high school students across the nation with college planning, from choosing majors to paying the bills.

When it comes to majoring in English, “the core values are how to communicate,” she said, adding that that’s something businesses want in a candidate.  

Wiley agrees. She said people who hire Geneseo students want the qualities a liberal arts education can provide: problem solving, critical thinking and effective communication. And, Wiley said, a liberal arts education has the added benefit of a tolerance and appreciation for diversity. She said students in majors like English are exposed to diverse opinions, thoughts, and different ways of life in their peer interactions as well as their course work — important exposure as the world gets smaller.

Pragmatism

Even if students are encouraged to follow their passions,  it doesn’t mean educators and counselors want students to ignore the economic realities.

“Part of our job is educating kids about the job market,” said Wiley. “We just want them to be realistic.”
That pragmatism starts at the high school level.

When Canandaigua students want to major in education, Rounds says, “I say to them, are you sure?”
As an educator herself, it’s not that she doesn’t value that career path. “It’s a great job, it’s very rewarding,” she said.

The danger is having the expectation of finding jobs locally. Students from Canandaigua have a connection to the town, she said. “People want to come back here and live,” she said.

Wiley said as students approach college graduation and begin their job search, “being willing to cast a wider net” is key.

That means for students pursuing careers in education — a consistently popular major — being aware of the job market in New York is important. There may not be opportunity in their hometown, but there are jobs for teachers in specialized fields and in different geographic areas, she said. Right now, Wiley said, the South is hiring teachers. “It’s a completely different market,” she said.

But though there might be hope for students who have their hearts set on becoming educators, Rounds worries that a tough budget season and continued reports of the bad job outlook for educators could negatively affect the field.
“My fear is we’re going to lose some really great educators,” she said.

Taking it in stride

Though some students, like the McCormick sisters, will prolong their entry into the job market by pursuing further education, other students are tailoring their opportunities to fit the current market.

At Midlakes, counselor Jane Arnold says, “the kids seem to have a pretty good grasp on the realities of the job market.” She says she’s seen a “steady increase” in the number of students going into nursing, which she says is “very reflective of the trends in the job market.”

“There is the very real concern of paying back student loans,” she said. “It’s great to follow your passion, but it has to pay the bills,” she said.

At Canandaigua Academy, Rounds says she’s seen an uptick in the number of students choosing two-year colleges. Those students are a combination of those interested in going into vocational training and students looking to form a more economical liberal arts base before going on to a more expensive four-year college.

“I think a lot of that has to do with the economy,” said Rounds.

It also might have something to do with community colleges responding to the needs of potential employers.

Lynn Freid is the manager of business development and continuing education at Finger Lakes Community College in Hopewell.

She explains that some of the programs currently being offered at FLCC are a direct response to what industries say they need.
Midlakes student A.J. Lisi will be taking advantage of an advanced manufacturing partnership program between FLCC and Clifton Springs-based G.W. Lisk. A job like that could mean an average salary of $45,000.

Plus, he’s applying for a New York State grant through the Finger Lakes Workforce Investment Board, which would provide him with a full scholarship to study advanced manufacturing.  

“The way things are, that sounded really good to me,” said Lisi.

He said some of his friends will be going away to college, unsure of where their interests lie. “In this economy, you can’t take that risk,” he said. He feels fortunate that he’s already figured his plan out.

“At least with my trade I know that there’s a job waiting for me,” he said.

Looking to the future

Back in Canandaigua, the McCormick sisters aren’t sure where they’ll end up in four years.

When Kate thinks about what the job market might look like, she said, “Sometimes I get a little stressed.” But she’s hoping an Ivy League degree will help her. “I know it’ll give me an edge,” she said. “It’s sort of an investment.”

And Meghan admits studying English might not be the “most wise” decision, but “it’s something that I really have a passion for,” she said. “I can’t imagine not doing something more with it,” she said.

The McCormick twins’ parents will be funding the bachelor’s degrees, but if they do end up in grad school, the twins will each be footing that bill.

To those high school seniors starting a new chapter of their lives, Rounds wants them to know the final pages haven’t been written yet. “You’re not locked in for the four years,” she said.

Plus, Wiley says declaring a minor is “a path a lot of students are taking.” That way, if a student’s passion doesn’t land them a career, their minor might give them something to fall back on.

Before students get to that point, Barry said NextStepU’s career publication helps future college students identify “new and exciting career paths they might not have thought of.”

Especially in a tough job market, she says those “off the beaten path” jobs are where students are successful. Thinking about ways to apply old majors to new careers is important, she said — like applying English or design knowledge to a career in new media.

And looking to the future, majoring in general liberal arts could prepare students for a future they haven’t even imagined.

“There’s careers they’ll be going into that aren’t even created yet,” said Rounds.
 

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