College closing in on the Class of 2012

Decision Day has passed, and students across Monroe County have chosen their fates for next fall. But now, as the end of their high school careers approaches, many are still trying to nail down a course of study.

That means weighing the job market with their passions and interests.

According to Gates-Chili High School counselor Alyn Dasta, popular majors chosen by 2012 graduates include engineering; childhood, adolescent and special education, and medicine and health careers.

At private universities like Cornell and at SUNY colleges, students have to declare a major at about the junior year mark.

 Private colleges like Cornell can cost almost $60,000, while a SUNY school like Geneseo can cost one third that amount. Dasta said college is about more than a price tag, though.

“Regardless of the cost, higher education is what you make of it,” Dasta said. “While in college, students need to get the best grades possible, make meaningful connections with their professors and obtain relevant work experience/internships that will form the initial entries of a work resume.”


Decisions, decisions

Gates-Chili High School salutatorian Benjamin Goodberry, 17, said cost was only one of many factors that went into his decision to attend Southeastern University in the fall. Goodberry, who will be majoring in Math, was recruited to the Florida college’s cross country team.

He had also applied to the University of the Sciences and MIT.

“Primarily it was the chance to run cross country,” Goodberry said when asked why he chose Southeastern. “And their math program was really good.” Then, almost as an afterthought, he said, “and it was affordable.”

Goodberry said he’s fairly confident he won’t have problems with student loans after he graduates.

“I think it's generally not too much of an issue besides the fact that the degrees people are earning aren't necessarily such that they can make up for those loans,” he said.

Goodberry’s goal is to find a research position teaching at the college level. He said that, though his counselors helped him find a school, he picked his major on his own.

“I had to choose between physics and math,” Goodberry said. “It was just two fields I’ve been very interested in and math won out.”


Beyond college

A question many students vying for liberal arts diplomas hear is what will they do with that degree after college graduation — especially in a bad economy.

Unemployment is high, and some professions have taken more of a hit than others. But that doesn’t seem to be affecting what students want to study.

Stacy Wiley is the director of career development at Geneseo. She said, “Despite all the media focus on certain fields being better than other fields, students still choose something they enjoy and that they are competent and good at.”

And according to Wiley, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Katie Barry says majoring in something broad, like English, is actually a good thing. She’s the editor of NextStepU’s five-times-yearly publication, which helps high school students across the nation with college planning, from choosing majors to paying the bills.

When it comes to majoring in English, “the core values are how to communicate,” she said, adding that that’s something businesses want in a candidate.  

Wiley agrees. She said people who hire Geneseo students want the qualities a liberal arts education can provide: problem solving, critical thinking and effective communication. And, Wiley said, a liberal arts education has the added benefit of a tolerance and appreciation for diversity. She said students in majors like English are exposed to diverse opinions, thoughts, and different ways of life in their peer interactions as well as their course work — important exposure as the world gets smaller.

Pragmatism

Even if students are encouraged to follow their passions,  it doesn’t mean educators and counselors want students to ignore the economic realities.

“Part of our job is educating kids about the job market,” said Wiley. “We just want them to be realistic.”

That pragmatism starts at the high school level.

“Assisting students in determining their educational pathway is a process, not a decision,” Dasta said. “As early as grade 9, and throughout high school, our students are presented with a number of different opportunities and classroom instruction to identify interests, skills, abilities and values.”

Wiley said as students approach college graduation and begin their job search, “being willing to cast a wider net” is key.

That means for students pursuing careers in education, being aware of the job market in New York is important. There may not be opportunity in their hometown, but there are jobs for teachers in specialized fields and in different geographic areas, she said. Right now, Wiley said, the South is hiring teachers. “It’s a completely different market,” she said.

Dasta said she encourages students who want to teach to combine their content area and grade level with other certifications and become involved with volunteer opportunities to enhance their experience. These, she said, make prospective teachers more marketable.


A Practical Approach

Goodberry said that, when going into research and college teaching fields, one way to make yourself more marketable is to stay in school and earn a Ph.D.

“The opportunities, especially going into a research field, are less lucrative if I don't have a Ph.D,” he said. “It's a major factor in that and I really don't mind going for more schooling.”

Goodberry said that, for now, he’s looking forward to going off to college, not worried about what he’s going to do when he gets out.

“It's an open enough field, especially with the need for college professors, that I'm not worried about that,” he said. “I'm just very excited for different opportunities than what I've gotten in high school. It's a completely different feel and different community, especially going so far from home.”