Getting ready for college? Here's what high school seniors need to know
WASHINGTON (7News) — High school graduation is right around the corner for the class of 2022. Your graduating senior turned college student has been putting in the work to make sure their plans are set -- but have they completed every step to ensure success on campus next year?
7News On Your Side has compiled a list of tips every college senior needs to complete before they enter college in the fall:
Make sure your child is checking all college scholarship notifications and be realistic. College students expect to make nearly $104,000 in their first job after graduation, a new survey by Real Estate Witch suggests. But statistics show that the average starting salary for college graduates is just over $55,000.
Brush up on financial literacy to determine costs, and what to do if you’ve been waitlisted.
“In most cases, students have to make their admission decision by May 1 and here we are about a week after May 1 right. But in some cases, students that are on the waitlist may now find themselves getting an admission offer from a college they are interested in. So if you’ve already said yes to one college and maybe already paid your enrollment deposit and now you’re accepted at a college that waitlisted you, you have a decision to make," said Jennifer Finetti, student advocacy expert with ScholarshipOwl.
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While one in three college students worry they won't make enough money to live comfortably after graduation, a new report also shows finding a job over the next several years might not be as difficult as before.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers found that employers plan to hire 31.6% more new graduates from the class of 2022 than last year.
It’s stressful and exciting at the same time. The time of the year when high school seniors are getting ready to make the big transition to college.
Experts tell 7News, that it’s important to focus on planning for college but don’t forget to graduate on a high. Don’t put your college admission at risk by taking the last month off, because some universities can and will rescind admission offers if your GPA doesn’t hold up.
Remember it’s never too late to find scholarships and grants. Providers offer them year-round.
“Now they are at the point where they know where they are going to go to college, they know how much they are going to get college best financial aid or FAFSA. Maybe they’ve already received institutional scholarships from a college they are attending or maybe they didn’t get any and they hoped they would. And so now maybe the student knows ok I need to somehow make another $10,000 or I need to make another $5,000 to cover my costs this year," said Finetti.
A new study by the Healthy Minds Network found that the mental health of college students across the United States has been on a consistent decline for all eight years of data analyzed, with an overall 135% increase in depression and 110% increase in anxiety from 2013 to 2021.
The number of students who met the criteria for one or more mental health problems has doubled since 2013.
