‘Tis the season for college acceptance and rejection letters. While most shop for presents and build snowmen, current seniors anxiously await letters, compete for scholarships and make final decisions about life beyond high school. However, three college students and the school counselors say juniors should be taking this time of celebration to begin exploring their post high school options as well.

“Not everybody matures at the same pace or knows what they want to do,” counselor Karla McCallie said. “Talk about visiting colleges, explore your thoughts about what you like doing. Junior year is a huge year.”

Fifty seniors recently answered questions about college on an anonymous poll. Three Canyon High School alumni and current college freshmen Kyleigh Head at the University of North Texas, Rachel Smith at Baylor University and Lexi Hill at the University of Texas at Austin answered similar questions. All three college students said finding the right school is a top factor, while 47 of the seniors listed cost as their top factor.

“Don’t say, ‘I can’t go there because I can’t afford it,’” Head said. “I think a lot of people settle. If you want to go, apply for scholarships and see what you can do.”

The high school students listed location relative to home as their second most important factor. Senior Calvin Rueda said that he believes juniors and seniors should broaden their perspective.

“Their only option isn’t WTAMU (West Texas A&M University),” Rueda said. “It’s here, it’s home, it’s comfort. And that’s not bad, but students need to really consider more what fits them.”

McCallie said juniors can start by taking an aptitude test and should consider what majors interest them.

“I think a lot of kids may focus more on location,” McCallie said. “The lucky ones will know what they want to study and find schools that will fit that.”

 All three of the college freshman said visiting and taking time to get to know the city or town of possible future schools help to find such a fit. Juniors have two excused college days to explore their options. To use these days, students need to notify the counselor’s office ahead of time, get the work that they will miss from their teachers and come back with a letter from the college verifying the visit.

“Picking your school is a big decision, so don’t do it in haste,” Hill said. “I wanted to make sure I liked the weather, the dorm I would stay in, the city, things like that. Start early. Tour the schools. That helped me a lot.”

On average, the seniors polled applied to four schools. Smith applied to and was accepted to Baylor, WTAMU and Belmont  prior to choosing Baylor.

“Don’t underestimate how many schools to which you want to apply,” Smith said. “Keep your mind open. Research scholarships, and always have a backup plan.”

Head said the number of friends a student has at a school should not influence his or her decision.

“When applying, don’t just think about those next four years in college,” Head said. “Think about your life, and how your college will affect it.”

McCallie and the college students all said that a school must fit each student individually.

“College is a new start,” Smith said. “The school you choose to attend will play a huge role in developing you as a person. Choose the college that will shape you in to the person you were created to be.”