College Demystified at Student-to-Student Night

The college process has finally ended for this year's high school seniors, and one thing is now on everyone's minds – the college process for next year's seniors. On Wednesday May 25, 120 Scarsdale High School juniors came to the school at night to participate in "Student-to-Student Night," where 65 Scarsdale alumni currently attending 43 different colleges chatted with the juniors about their college experience. The event is meant to give juniors a perspective on what college is generally like as a Scarsdale High School graduate, and how well Scarsdale has prepared them for college-level academics. Most college students seemed to agree that Scarsdale's rigorous academic program has made them perfectly equipped for college. No college students felt that they went away to school unprepared academically. They explained that they learned how to study, how to research and write a scholarly paper in high school; all skills they have put to use in their higher level studies.

Additionally, each college student spoke specifically about the university they are attending. They discussed the social life at their college and answered juniors' questions about their specific institution. The high schoolers in attendance were better able to figure out what kind of school that would like socially, whether it's one with a big Greek life or one with a more mellow environment. Moreover, juniors could sign up for specific colleges they are considering and talk with college students from those institutions to either confirm or reverse their interest in that school. Many juniors felt that this night solidified which colleges they were considering applying to while many others felt that some schools they were originally interested in weren't actually for them. Most of all, the juniors became more cognizant of what they actually wanted in a college. This night cleared up much of the fog created by admissions hype and parental influence, and students could better figure out which schools they truly want to attend.

Generally, "Student-to-Student Night" exists to make current high schoolers more comfortable heading into the college process. The college process is a notoriously stressful time for students, and this event gives them more direct insight about it so they don't feel like their choosing colleges blindly. The most common piece of advice given by the college students there was, "Take a deep breath and remember that whichever college you choose, you will have a great time." Most college students admitted that the school they ended up at was not their first choice. However, every college student agreed that they love the school they're attending and are having an amazing time. Overall, "Student-to-Student Night" was a success. One junior attending the event said, "This was really helpful in giving me stronger insight on which colleges I would like to apply to. I must admit I was freaking out a lot beforehand. Now I'm only freaking out a little bit."