At the end of the school year, the air is often filled with talk of college and other post-secondary plans. Luckily, 2024 graduates Soren Ashman, Madi Cabral, Jordan Sanchez, and Gia Plante are full of advice about college.
Academics
Ashman said the Advanced Placement classes he took in high school were actually harder than what he took for his art history major at Lycoming College.
“‘Difficult’ classes are more like learning specific major stuff than a more difficult [class],” said Ashman.
No matter what classes you are taking, Cabral’s academic advice is simple: “Don’t study in your room. Study somewhere else, a place where you know that you’re supposed to focus on studying.” This could be the library or a study lounge within your dorm or outside on the lawn.
Community
Cabral and Sanchez were both pleasantly surprised to find community at Plymouth State University and Rhode Island College respectively.
For Cabral, this came in the form of joining six student organizations, and serving on the executive board of three of them.
“Join as many student orgs as you can at the beginning of the year,” said Cabral. “You can slowly stop going to them if you don’t end up liking them. You will make so many friends, and if you end up not really enjoying going to the club that much, you can just stop going, they’re not going to kill you.”
She also joined the Delta Zeta sorority, which fundraises to help those with speech and hearing disabilities. Similarly, Ashman joined the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, fundraising for St. Jude’s Hospital. While Cabral and Ashman acknowledge their experience is a bit different from the stereotypical rowdy partying associated with Greek life, they both recommend Greek life as an opportunity to connect to more people on campus.
Sanchez put themself out there more casually by getting comfortable being alone, talking to new people, and spending time with their roommate and friends. Sanchez and Plante had the comfort of rooming together after being best friends through middle and high school, and they recommend connecting with whatever former classmates you can find at your college.
Packing
“If you can buy stuff now,” said Ashman. “Seniors who are graduating from college are selling that right now. So get it now. Don’t wait until August because then everything’s going to be expensive.”
“Only bring one mini fridge,” added Cabral. “You and your roommate both do not need to bring one. Somebody bring the microwave. Somebody bring the mini fridge. That’s it. And pack sooner rather than later.”
Senior Year & Summertime
Before even getting to college, all of the grads emphasize enjoying senior year and the summer of transition.
“Everything was done as a class in a community senior year,” said Plante, looking back. When asked what she missed about high school, she said, “Lincoln school spirit! Lincoln does it more than any other school.”
Sanchez misses the connection with teachers as opposed to professors who you only meet with once a week.
“I miss Miss Mac [now Monahan] every day,” said Sanchez.
Even small details like structured days, one building instead of a whole campus, and seeing the same people every day were missed by Cabral.
Ashman also found it more difficult to follow a routine with the increased independence at college. “I used to read books!” he joked.
Once you make it to graduation and the summer, relish it.
“Just to really sit in the moment and enjoy it because you’re never going to graduate high school again,” said Plante.
“Be chill with your summer,” agreed Ashman.
Plante said, “To anyone who’s worried about going to college and leaving home, it’s okay to be worried about it, but at the end of the day, it’s such a great experience. You just have to embrace the change.”
At the end of the day, when you can see beyond the details, college is an exciting new chapter of your life.
“It’s scary, but it’s gonna go how it’s gonna go,” said Cabral. “Nobody’s gonna be mad at you if it doesn’t work out. And if you do like it, that’s okay, too. You’re allowed and you shouldn’t feel guilty.”
Best of luck at college, LHS grads!
