The Junior and Senior year for a student are arguably the most important of a student’s educational career. Many important events that can alter a student’s life will take place such as the SAT and the beginning of the search for the perfect college. We asked students the best way to prepare for the SAT, how to approach the college search, and the necessities for a successful future.

Taking practice SAT tests is a great way to prepare students for the SAT and an important part of a high schooler’s education. “I’ve taken a few practice tests, and I had an SAT tutor for a while, and I’ve been getting high scores on the practice SAT test,” said Niko Curtis (11). Taking practice SATs also help students with their test taking strategies that will improve their score. “I think just doing a ton of practice tests, but I don’t think you need to do each section of the test all at once, but just to what you need to know for your worst subject and make sure what you’re doing now,” said Curtis. With practice SATs, students now have an idea of what will show up on the SATs, and students can apply their skills they’ve learned in class to the SATs itself. “we have done many vocab tests, and we have a packet that helps us study for it,” said Reese Anderson (11).

There are a number of factors that help students decide on which college to attend. “It can be location or the courses offered, and the college size, like you can have smaller colleges that are more humble, or you can be part of a larger college like it’s excited with their sports teams and stuff, so it’s mostly personal preference and the courses offered,” said Aiden Bock (12). Students choose colleges that offer classes of their interests and those that are close to their family or a location with nice weather. “I like to be close to my family and also warm weather and academics are a very big factor for me, and my degree is animal science, so it has to be a particular school for me to be able to go,” said Olivia Holland (12). Connor Shields (12) is planning on attending Pikes Peak Community College. Shields said that he had enjoyed the colleges he visited saying, “The weather is good for most of them. I liked the campuses. They’re very large.” Though the campuses were nice, Shields especially liked how welcoming the campus atmospheres were and how friendly people were. “Many of the people are friendly, even if you don’t know them they’ll say hi to you” said Shields.

Another thing students look into when selecting colleges where they will live during college. “I was looking into dorms, but for the school I’d like to go to. I may be able to go off campus, so I’m planning to live in an apartment,” said Holland. Bock, who wants to go to the University of Arizona, would, “need to sign up for their housing program like a dorm room.” Shields, wanting to attend PPCC, mentioned that, “It’s just a community college. They don’t have dorms.” 

With the 2023-24 school year signaling the end of some student’s Pine Creek High School journey, it is important to look to the future and have a proper plan in place so you can pursue your interests with ease and start a new and exciting chapter of your life.