A cool breeze rolls along, bringing short relief from the sweltering August heat, and a student finishes unpacking all his things into his dorm from a box labeled “College.”

Ben Sulser, senior, has looked into several colleges, such as University of Missouri- Columbia, Truman State and University of Chicago, hoping to find himself in this scenario. Although he is not sure where he would like to go yet, he said he plans on getting a liberal arts education with a strong science basis.

“I’m trying to visit as many campuses as I can, seeing which school will give me the best undergrad experience,” Sulser said.

Dana Becker, senior, has also been busy preparing to receive her higher education. Becker plans to attend University of Missouri- Columbia [Mizzou] with a major in biotechnical engineering.

“I’ve taken AP classes, gone on campus visits and college [visitations],” Becker said. “They have some resources [at KHS], but college prep is definitely more of an individual thing.”

Sulser and Becker had some advice for underclassmen based on their personal college preparation experiences.

“Start early, make a list and narrow it down. Visit anything you think you may be interested in,” Sulser said. “You would be amazed what a tour or info session can change what you think of a school.”

Becker had advice on preparations students can make while still getting their education at KHS.

“Take as many AP classes as you can, visit colleges and go to the college interviews,” Becker said.

Emily Berty and Abby Peterson, college counselors, are the chief authorities when it comes to educating students on the preparations they should make for college.

“Start early, get organized, know your deadlines, and that will save you a lot of stress in the long run,” Berty said.

According to Sulser and Becker, college also has a reputation for the expensive tuition that comes with it. However, there are some things students can do to help soften the economic impact.

“[Students] need to make sure they know the scholarships at each school and know the deadlines for all the scholarships,” Berty said. “There are about 20 [scholarships] to highly selective colleges that are for Kirkwood students only.”

St. Norbert College, located in Wisconsin, suggests in an informational pamphlet that students take challenging elective courses, continuously take a foreign language up through their senior year, have a balanced curriculum, become active in their communities and participate in activities which they enjoy.

For any students who are thinking about college, but have not started their preparations and do not know where to start, Kirkwood offers many services and events.
“We have college speaker night on Oct. 3, along with the collaborative college fair,” Berty said. “[Students] also can utilize us as resources.”