No high school, ever again? For seniors, that is the reality in just two short months. But what is the biggest deciding factor on which college they will attend? Whatever it is, the decision needs to be made; May 1st is right around the corner.
Research suggests that the biggest and most common factor is money. Tuition is outrageously high. Stevens Institute of Technology is $54,000 a year and the total cost of Syracuse is around $53,000 per year. However, SUNY schools average about $16,000 to $17,000 per year. That’s a big difference, especially in these economic times. The average tuitions for public and private institutions in 2010/11 public four-year, In-State: $16,140; public four-year out-of-state: $28,130; private four-year: $36,993.
The majority of students I interviewed said that weather was one of their biggest deciding factors in where they go to school. After being in New York for so long many just wanted to go where it is nice and warm. Melissa Lagoumis, Alex Keneiby and Scott Hayes felt that the weather must be nice wherever they go next year. Scott, who is even going to Florida, said “The fact that people come to me during their breaks is a big reason for where I want to go, and the girls obviously.”
Some seniors actually put some weight on academics when making their decision. Connor Raynor, Rachel Cassidy, and Reid Paoletta all talked about going to the school with the best reputation for their future major. Although Reid got into 6 schools, he ended up choosing UVA, ”Because I believe they will give me the best opportunity for jobs in the future.”
Time is of the essence and all of us seniors don’t have long until we are out of here. We have to hurry up and find a place that we will soon call home.
