By Emily Shea ’15 | Staff Writer

High school students rarely know their plans for the future, and chaos caused by college applications can leave high school seniors wondering if a traditional college experience is right for them.

“Students have many options,” Grosse Pointe South counselor Christina Warner said. “First is obviously the four-year college. About 89 percent of South students move on to a four-year college.”

The process of applying to college can be stressful, because most students think they can figure things out their senior year, but by junior year students should have an idea of where they may want to attend, College Research Center Representative Teresa Bennett said.

Grace Muawad ‘15 is applying to performing arts colleges, making the application process a lot more difficult.

Applying is a lot more time intensive, Muawad said. It is a different process from a normal college because of the amount of work and preparation that goes into it.

“We like for students to identify 10 schools they might want to attend. By the end of their junior year, they should have visited three to six campuses and taken at least two ACT tests,” said Bennett.

To try and help students get a better idea of what they may want to do, South has approximately 100 college representatives come and meet with students, Bennett said. This is a chance for students to figure out if the traditional college experience is right for them.

“Another type of schooling is a vocational or trade schools,” Warner said. “If a student already knows what they want to pursue, like a electrician or plumber, they could go to a school specifically for that.”

Going to a vocational school or learning a trade as an apprentice, one can start earning money while in school and later graduate with a good wages and job security, according to forbes.com.

Another option is enlisting in the military. While wages for basic enlistment are pretty low, many basic living needs are taken care of, according to forbes.com.

“I have decided to enlist in the military because of the traveling you get to do,” Jimmy Sands ‘15 said. “I also wanted to take advantage of the free education benefits.”

This would be a smart choice for a student with a passion for serving the country; it also offers a lot of room for advancement, Warner said.

Students that are not sure which path they want to choose can take a gap year, which can be used to travel or do community service.

Volunteering time when taking a gap year can be rewarding for students, Warner said. Students can travel to different locations and also help others.

“If a student wanted to take a gap year, with plans of attending college after, they should still apply to colleges, but then they can defer and take their time off,” Warner said.

But with schools like performing arts schools,some kids will take a gap year, train super hard and start auditioning, Muawad said.

“Personally, I think the training you get in college is invaluable which is why it’s the route I’m taking, but I know it is not for everyone,” Muawad said.

Counselors are always available to assist students that are unaware of what they may want to do as far as college goes, Bennett said. Students can discuss their interests and strengths and then discuss options they have based on this.

“It really depends on what the student wants to do,” Warner said. “Every student is unique so what they choose is based on their true passions and where they think they can excel and be most happy.”