The reality of senior year hit Ben Evans while he was watching the cartoon Phineas and Ferb.
The episode “Act Your Age,” where the stepbrothers have grown up and prepare for college, made Ben realize that his life wasn’t so different from theirs.
“That was terrifying to watch,” Ben said. “When I was a little kid, I was watching that and was like, ‘Oh my God, they’re so old.’ And now I’m that age, and it feels weird.”
For Ben and his fellow seniors at FHC, it’s time to figure out what comes next. Many students are knee-deep in college applications, while others look to pursue a trade, attend cosmetology school, or enter the workforce.
Planning for next year can be daunting, stressful, and—at times—toxic. FHC’s seniors reflect on the challenges of their current environment while providing feedback on how it can be improved.
Participation for the Sake of an Application
A sizable portion of the senior class plans to pursue a college degree next year.
Applying for college is most frequently done through the online platform Common App. On the website, students enter their honors, activities, and college essays, all of which will be sent to universities.
The “Activities” section includes 10 slots for students to share the extracurriculars, hobbies, and experiences that have characterized their past few years. Applicants often try to craft a cohesive application with impressive activities that showcase not only involvement but dedication.
With the hope of a strong application, some high schoolers participate in activities to put them on an application rather than out of passion.
Senior Caden Harleton views extracurriculars as more than just points on his application. He plans to follow a pre-med track in college, and his activities have helped him figure out what he enjoys.
“Honestly, all the stuff I’ve done for my application I did for myself and also to look good,” Caden said. “I did lab work over the summer, and at first I was like, ‘That’s going to look really good [on college applications],’ but once I started to do the lab work, I was like, ‘Oh, this is really cool. I could do this in college.’”
Senior Hayden Lutz holds a similar perspective, believing that participation in extracurriculars should arise from genuine interest and benefit the student. She cites her participation in FHC’s Community Club as an example of her following her passions.
“For clubs, really do what you want to do,” Hayden said. “Do stuff that’s going to be helpful for you. Don’t just do what everyone else is doing. I do [Community Club] because I love helping the community, not because all of my friends are doing it, and because it’s going to look good on my application.”
If participating in activities solely for an application, students run the risk of appearing inauthentic.
Senior Lily McMartin, who is at the moment unsure of what she wants to study in college, does activities out of her own interests.
“I feel like it always looks really obvious when you just do things to look good [on college applications],” Lily said. “I kind of just do [activities] for the vibe—or if it’s required for [the National Honor Society].”
Should a student want to construct a strong application, it’s advised to showcase personality through their extracurriculars. In doing so, one can set themselves apart and demonstrate what makes them unique.
Senior Gavin O’Meara highlights the importance of letting one’s character shine through on an application.
“Focus on what extracurriculars make you you,” Gavin said, “and what you think is unique about yourself and why colleges should be interested in you as a person, not just you as a statistic.”
The University of Michigan
In addition to schools like Michigan State University and Grand Valley State University, many FHC students are applying to the University of Michigan (U of M). The school is considered to be one of the top public universities in the nation. With an in-state acceptance rate of only about 39%, a slight air of competition surrounds admissions to the school.
Although comparison with one’s peers can arise, Gavin notes the futile nature of judging oneself next to another student.
“I know a lot of people want to go [to U of M],” Gavin said, “but I haven’t really compared myself to other people because a lot of the time you’re applying to different, individual colleges within the university.”
U of M’s application requires two supplemental essays—one about leadership and the other essentially asking, “Why U of M?”
Caden, who views FHC’s college environment as being collaborative, focuses on his own application while simultaneously helping his peers.
“I’ve gatekept a couple of things [from others] from my ‘Why [U of M]?’ [supplemental] essay,” Caden said. “I really want to get into [U of M], so I’m going to help out people, but I won’t tell them exactly what I said [in my essays]. I want people to get into their dream college, but I don’t want the opportunity to be taken from me because I helped out someone else.”
Though many students are hoping for acceptance into U of M, it is not every student’s dream school. Senior Kennedy Doubler points out that the university’s intense workload isn’t what everyone wants from their college experience.
“I was thinking about [applying to U of M],” Kennedy said, “but I was like, ‘I [wouldn’t] enjoy myself. I [would] just be stressed out.’”
U of M is far from the only strong college in Michigan. Admission into a certain school is not the determining factor in post-high school success, although it may seem critical at the moment for many seniors.
Gavin recognizes that, in the long run, one college versus another will not make or break a student’s future.
“I’d say [FHC] probably places a bit too much emphasis [on college],” Gavin said. “I feel like there’s a lot of pressure to actually go to college and to get into good colleges when, in reality, it doesn’t matter a ton which college you go to. Obviously, there’s differences in the curriculum, but if you get a degree at pretty much any college, it will be similar [to a degree] from another one.”
Respecting Career Pathways
Similar to colleges, career pathways can become a contentious subject amongst seniors.
Hayden plans to pursue nursing and is applying to both in-state and out-of-state schools. She views FHC’s environment as being slightly competitive at the moment, mostly due to the incoming deadlines that students feel pressured to reach.
She notes the general criticism and rudeness she has faced from her classmates during this season.
“I know some people have judged me for going into nursing,” Hayden said, “which I think is a little absurd. They’re like, ‘I would never be able to do that. People are so annoying.’ Well, you know, that’s my decision. You’re going to succeed in whatever you do, and I’ll succeed in whatever I do.”
Because of these interactions, she believes that FHC could be made healthier if students were more encouraging toward one another.
“I honestly just think being supportive of what people want to do [would better our college environment at FHC],” Hayden said. “Most of these people we’re only going to see for a couple more months of the year. We shouldn’t make them feel bad about what they want to do because it’s their choice. It’s really not our business.”
Is College Needed for My Career Goals?
Some seniors haven’t ever questioned whether they will attend college—the answer has always been “Yes.” However, not all FHC students have wanted—or currently want to—pursue higher education.
Kennedy is a member of the school’s news show, Forest Hills Exposure (FX), and plans to study film in college. Her decision to attend university is recent, as she previously wanted to become a professional photographer.
Kennedy has been self-taught in photography since childhood and didn’t feel that a college education would be necessary. Because of this, she felt that FHC placed too much emphasis on college, especially during her earlier years of high school.
“When I wanted to do photography, it was definitely like, ‘No, I hate that there are people all around me telling me that I should go to college because I didn’t want to,” Kennedy said. “But now that I’ve changed my plans, and I want to go into film, which I need to learn more about, I’m grateful that there are people telling me that I should keep trying to find a school that’s a good fit.”
While she has ultimately decided to attend university, she points out that an intense college culture can negatively affect students.
“I get that [FHC] wants people to be prepared,” Kennedy said, “and they want to make sure that they’re giving students the option to [attend college], but I feel like there’s less room for students to really make the decision that they don’t want to go to school.”
Cosmetology School
Senior Ava Casto, who will be pursuing cosmetology school next year, echoes Kennedy’s sentiments.
She’s noticed that oftentimes FHC staff members don’t bring up the trades or alternative post-high school pathways unless a student broaches the topic themselves. This creates a situation in which the responsibility of figuring out an alternative pathway is left largely in the hands of the student.
Despite this, Ava doesn’t feel that she has been forced down the college path.
“I’ve just known what I’ve wanted to do,” Ava said. “I feel like I’d be pushed more if I was like, ‘Well, I don’t know what I want to do.’”
Ava’s aunt, the owner of a cosmetology business, helped Ava realize her interest in the beauty field. Working for her aunt, she got to experience and understand the salon atmosphere.
Next year, Ava will learn and advance her skills in makeup, hair, nails, and waxing.
“I’ve always just liked everything ‘beauty,’” Ava said. “I like doing hair and doing makeup. It’s a good creative outlet, and I think it’s something that I would actually genuinely enjoy doing for years. And also it’s very flexible within the field too. If I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m kind of bored of cutting hair,’ now I’ll go do nails. Or, ‘Oh, maybe I’ll try waxing.’ There’s just a lot of different things that you can do with the license. Whereas, if you go to [college] for a very specific degree, you can only do things that go with that degree.”
Seeing the success of her aunt’s business has shown Ava what is possible within the cosmetology field. In general, she believes FHC could do a better job of acknowledging that there are career pathways that don’t require a college degree.
“[It would be beneficial for teachers to] show that there are other options,” Ava said. “A lot of people, I feel like, don’t even realize that it’s [not] college or nothing.”
Trade School
Outside of cosmetology, trade school includes fields like welding, electricity, HVAC, and other hands-on skills.
While Ben has already been accepted to multiple Michigan colleges, he’s still unsure if he will attend college, pursue a trade, or combine the two. At FHC, he has experienced firsthand the disparity in attention given to college over other pathways.
“I think [FHC] places a ton of emphasis on college admissions, taking [Advanced Placement] courses, and getting into that Big Ten school,” Ben said. “I think that they really push for academics here, and they don’t push as much of the industrial arts—they’re just not that popular. I have an engineering class, and there’s like five kids in it, and a board-building class, and there’s also like five kids in that.”
He acknowledges that this issue is bigger than the school itself and could be remedied most effectively by larger-scale action.
“I think that it’s more of a society that’s pushing to go to college,” Ben said, “so I think if there’s a societal shift, then more people will want to go into those industrial art programs and trades.”
Postsecondary Inclusivity at FHC
Ben has nonetheless noticed that more seniors seem to be pursuing the trades this year than in years past.
Personal Finance, Accounting, and Marketing teacher Kristin O’Brien has seen a similar pattern of trade-bound students over the past five years.
“I think people realize that the trades are hurting for workers,” O’Brien said, “and there’s a lot of immediate job placement through them. I think with the rise of technology and AI, a lot of the jobs that are more technical could potentially be replaced with [AI], whereas a lot of the trades cannot be replaced.”
Further, O’Brien acknowledges that Ranger Country largely focuses on college over other options. She herself came from a family where the question was primarily “What college are you attending?” rather than “Are you attending college?”. In the school district, many families have a similar mindset.
Over the past decade, O’Brien has worked to shift the way she talks about future plans with students to increase inclusivity. As a Personal Finance student, Ava has seen O’Brien’s recognition of diverse postsecondary choices.
“I feel like Mrs. O’Brien is really good at talking about not just college but the other, different options,” Ava said. “She also highlights success in fields that maybe you wouldn’t go to college for.”
O’Brien thinks that FHC could make small changes outside of the classroom to respect the variety of student goals. For example, at the end-of-year Senior Recognition Ceremony, there could be more celebration of career-based achievements in addition to those about universities and college scholarships.
She believes that, more generally, the seniors shouldn’t be expected to have everything figured out.
“I think just being open-minded and putting less pressure on kids that they have to have everything figured out as soon as they’re out of high school [would be beneficial],” O’Brien said. “Just actually taking the time to sit down and figure out what you are good at, what your strengths and weaknesses are, and what things you want to do in your future [are good questions for students to consider]. And, how does that play out as far as, do you need a degree for that? Or are there other routes that might be more appropriate?”
Advice for Future Seniors
FHC seniors—whether looking to attend college or not—are currently deciding where next fall will take them. During this transition period, which can undeniably feel stressful, respecting other students and their choices is integral to cultivating a supportive community.
Already a quarter of the way through the school year, the Class of 2026 recognizes some of the mistakes they’ve made and offers advice for future seniors.
A widely agreed-upon suggestion for those looking to attend college is to start preparing early.
“Figure out [the] colleges [that you want to apply to] before you start applications,” Lily said. “I’m doing my applications, and I’ve had to figure out where [I’m applying] after. Maybe figure out the ‘where’ before [starting].”
Caden advises being prepared as well, especially with creating a strong application.
“Start right now,” Caden said. “Start building up your resume.”
To minimize a spirit of competition in the season of college admissions, Gavin recommends highlighting the unique aspects of each student rather than comparing statistics.
“Maybe shy a little bit away from talking about standardized testing scores and GPA and focusing more on the extracurricular aspect of college applications and supporting people in that,” Gavin said.
In general, Kennedy advises younger high schoolers to be open to the possibilities.
“Leave your options open because you’re going to change your mind 100% of the time throughout your high school career,” Kennedy said.
