Many seniors at Hampton Bays High School are concerned with how they’ll navigate their life at college. Worries such as if they’ll like their roommates or if they’ll be able to balance their school and personal life are on their minds. To help ease these concerns, Mrs. Fotopoulos, Hampton Bays High School’s Coordinator of College & Career Initiatives set up an alumni panel for all seniors to attend on January 11.
The alumni panel included Sofia Solano, Izzi Caine, Christian Pensa, Ella Stotzky, Elle Dunkirk, Emma Naclerio, Tara Brochu, and Lily Candelaria. The panel ranged from freshmen to seniors, giving the seniors various perspectives from the alumni.
The alumni started off by discussing what influenced their decisions to attend the colleges they chose. Solano, a freshman at Long Island University, responded, “I chose my school, LIU, because it was close to home but I could still get that college experience. I remain at the college for the weekdays and on the weekends I go back home.”
Two other alumni, Stotzky, a freshman at James Madison University, and Naclerio, a junior at Albany University, stated that they wanted to go somewhere unfamiliar and further away from home.
Solano credited taking lots of A.P.s during high school for her free time and ability to take the classes she was truly interested in, allowing her to have more opportunities.
When asked about their first year experience, Caine, a freshman at Boston College, said, “It’s going very well, it’s been a good experience. Independence is a very big thing, everything has been going good so far.”
Naclerio mentioned how high school and college differ: “You have to put effort into what you want, nothing is just given to you.“
When asked about their favorite and least favorite thing about college, Christian Pensa, a freshman at Hofstra University, said that it was the same thing. “It’s having to go after opportunities.”
While on the topic, Naclerio mentions her least favorite thing is that not every day is going to be a good day. “You will struggle at some point.”
Once food was mentioned, everyone had a different opinion. Some of the alumni enjoy eating at their universities’ dining halls while some prefer to eat off campus at nearby restaurants. Stotsky mentioned that she has an apartment of her own where she can cook her own meals rather than constantly eating out. The alumni cautioned the high school seniors to watch what they eat, it’s very easy to lose track of what they’re eating.
Some find dorm life tricky, but Caine shared some advice when it comes to roommates: “If you have a roommate, at some point or another, you’re going to need to compromise. Since you’re sharing a space with someone, you’ll need to adjust to them and their living.”
When it comes to work opportunities, Caine was able to obtain a tutoring job. She says she’s able to balance her time by setting up specific times to study.
Naclerio believes that the amount of free time you have depends on what you’re majoring in; you might have more or less time than others. She urges the importance of finding a balance. She personally prefers to have a busier schedule so she joined a sorority.
Lily Candelaria, a senior at New York University, advised that one will have more time than they may think, and she urged students to find what they enjoy during their free time.
When asked if they found the panel helpful, high school senior Brian De Jesus, stated that most of the alumni attended bigger colleges so he felt their answers didn’t quite align with what he would experience at a smaller college. He was glad though the panel mentioned the debt aspect of college.
De Jesus, Mariajose Hemmings, and Oliver Castro-Huertas believe that the alumni panel should be offered to underclassmen, specifically the junior class. They wished there had been more diversity within the panel. Although there were different grades, they thought it would be a good idea to have alumni from smaller colleges or students who aren’t as involved in school activities.
Overall, the panel reinforced what some of the students already knew and provided new information for those who weren’t already aware. It’s a great opportunity for the students to get more personal answers that they might not be able to search for on the internet. The panel would be beneficial to the underclassmen who are thinking of applying and are just interested in attending college.
