As students near the end of their high school career, they begin to wonder, what comes next? For many, this can be a daunting question, but Revere High School (RHS) provides its students with the resources to find what is right for them.
At RHS there are many paths students can take to what they want to do after high school. Counselors Emily Rion, Nicholas Depompei, and Elizabeth Long help with the process of setting up for college or career planning.
“My question that I ask them is ‘do you know what you want to do after high school?’ It is either ‘go to college,’ ‘work,’ or ‘enlist in the military,’” Rion said
Revere students can also access SchooLinks, an online tool used to explore what colleges or careers suit their needs and interests. SchooLinks also can give advice, resources, and other tools to students to explore post high school careers and opportunities.
The counselors usually begin talking with students about their post high school plans during their “Junior Check” meetings.
“Junior year is when students start exploring if college or a certain college is the right fit for them. So right now we are meeting with all of our juniors, so we have sent out invites for juniors and their parents if they want to come in and review their transcripts and talk about their goals,” Rion said.
Through their years of working with students, and their own past experiences, Rion and DePompei have developed helpful tips to students.
“[You need to] take rigorous courses, do the most and best you can in high school, because that keeps all your options open to you. Understanding why you do the things you do, not only what you do, but the why is really important,” DePompei said.
Junior year is also when it is recommended that students take the ACT or SAT. The ACT is provided and paid for by the state of Ohio and all juniors have the opportunity to take it in the spring.
In recent years it has become optional for students to provide their ACT or SAT test scores.
“Since COVID currently a lot of institutions aren’t even mandating that you send a score in for an ACT or SAT, it is called a ‘test optional’,” DePompei said.
Revere still encourages its students to work towards getting high scores on their ACT to open the door to majors that require it.
“The tricky part then is sometimes if you want to get into a certain major you need a test score or if you want a certain scholarship they are going to need a test score. So we still really promote students to take those SAT or ACT as if you are definitely going to need it, so we still work to get a good score,” DePompei said.
Senior year, the counselors help students finish their application process, such as getting letters of recommendation, and completing the applications.
“When we get to senior year we call it the ‘college selection year’, which is then when we really work with students on like the finer details about how to apply to those institutions. We work with the Common App, which is the main source of college applications. Then we sit with them in their senior meetings and we talk about what colleges need, like how many letters of recommendation they need, an essay, do they need different types of transcripts,” DePompei said.
The Common App is an application accepted by multiple colleges that allows students to set up and send out applications quicker and more efficiently.
“One of the things that we do recommend is getting a head start on the Common App essay over the summer. Any student can use our writing lab teachers to review those Common App essays or any of the supplemental essays that come up for different schools if this school wants an additional essay. So our writing lab English teachers are a phenomenal resource,” Long said.
Long described the timeline for seniors to submit college applications.
“We typically recommend that students, if a school has early action, to aim for that early action deadline. Other schools have rolling deadlines, and so they are just at any time that school is going to have their application open from August 1 on,” Long said.
For students interested in entering the workforce right after graduating, the Cuyahoga Valley Career Center (CVCC) is a resource to explore different career options and get training in various fields.
CVCC is an education center that offers twenty five technical programs and courses. These courses are offered to public schools all across Northeast Ohio, including Revere.
Kelli Casini, the admissions counselor at CVCC described what their programs offer and their benefits.
“CVCC really benefits all kinds of students. So students who want to just get in, learn a trade, start working and start making a career for themselves. It is also for students who are highly academic, who want to maybe explore a certain career field, such as health careers or physical therapy or information technology. We’re here to help you explore those areas and offer college credits and jump start your college career, so really it’s for everyone,” Casini said.
CVCC is a program for students progressing to college, but it is also helpful to students trying to begin their career immediately after high school.
“Well over 60% of our students go on and further their education, but we also get students ready to enter the workforce as well. We get them ready with skills that can jump start their career. They can start a pre apprenticeship program, and they can also head college and be well prepared for their college career through our programs,” Casini said.
Students deciding what they want to do after high school is an important and stressful decision. Rion gave some words of advice to students passing through this chapter of their life.
“I always tell students that when it comes to choosing the next steps after high school that I know it can be really stressful. No decision is a wrong decision in regards to what you choose for your college or pathway. Focus on what is best for you,” Rion said.
