When selecting a college, it is important to find a school that will support students from start to finish. Also, it is essential to find a school that is specific to the needs and interests of the student. Knowing how to select a school comes from a combination of researching the school, what location of the country the college is in, and speaking to admission counselors and current or former students of the college.

The Importance of Helping High School Students Select a College 

For an educator, helping high school students find the correct college is an effective way to help narrow down specifics to help students make an effective choice. It is important to know what type of college the student wants to go to. Furthermore, it is important to see what academic history the student has had to see if the student qualifies to go to the school of their choice. Students who may want to pursue a specific trade or obtain an associate degree will benefit from going to a technical school or community college. Community and technical colleges give students the opportunity to obtain a certification or associate degree after two years.

Students who want to pursue a trade such as welding, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), carpentry, and building construction can all find programs either in an Early College Program, community college, or technical school. Oftentimes, community colleges and technical schools establish programs with Early Colleges so students can come out of high school with a trade, certification, or even an associate degree. For high school students who want to pursue a four-year degree going to a university is the route. There are multiple paths to completing a four-year degree.

Some students choose to go to a two-year school and then transfer to a four-year institution. Depending on the needs and interests of the students, the university may be a small private institution or a larger university in an urban center. Both small and larger universities have pros and cons when it comes to student experiences, class sizes, and effective academic advising. Understanding which major the student wants to pursue is important as well. Majors such as education, business, engineering, and social science are a few choices for high school students. Knowing which major students want to pursue can help educators determine where to go.

Helping High School Students Decide Where to Go

There are various ways high school educators can help high school students decide where to go. It is important to know the reasons high school students want to go to college. This can be due to friendships, family tradition, or if a high school student finds a particular degree program they want to go to. A few factors influence where high school students decide to go to college include life experiences, financial aid and funding, and future career opportunities.

Life Experiences

For many prospective college students, life experiences are a major reason for choosing a university to visit. Many students of color and first-generation college students may find it difficult adjusting to college life. Facilitating greater success among minority students is vital to establishing a support system and building confidence in students of color and first-generation college-bound students.

Students who attend college find new life experiences, meet people from diverse backgrounds, and learn new skills in communication and business. The TRIO Upward Bound Program is a federal grant-based program designed to familiarize first-generation college-bound students with colleges and universities. The program provides academic support, after-school, weekend activities, and summer residential programs to get students prepared for college placement.

Financial Aid and Funding

The U.S. News and World Report states that the average American owes at least $30,000 in student loan debt. When finding a college to go to, it is important to consider the best way to find funds for the college experience. Parents and students have the opportunity to apply for financial aid. The Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) gives families information on which grants, loans, and scholarships students qualify for to pay for college.

Consulting with school counselors to connect students with current state or federal scholarships is an effective way to learn about other financial aid opportunities. As the college process continues for the potential student, it is vital that the families and students are aware of the opportunities at various schools and future career opportunities.

Future Career Opportunities

Career opportunities for college graduates depend on sound advice from academic advisors, planning for the future, and understanding future job markets. There are multiple career opportunities available for college graduates, each specific to its major. Research.com has compiled a list of the best college majors in 2023 with data on salary and job growth expectations. Understanding how each opportunity can benefit the student is important to knowing what impact the degree will make on students and the community as a whole. Many college students go on past the bachelor’s level and pursue a graduate degree.

One example of this is for students who want to pursue a military career. Going to college and obtaining a degree is a plus for military personnel. Once a member of the military obtains a degree, they can be promoted to a military officer. This can potentially translate into higher salaries and opportunities for students in college and military personnel. Some high school students are in JROTC programs and work with military and college recruiters to find the best option for student success.

Whether the high school student wants to go to a community college, university, or expand their career in the military, going to college has benefits for each choice. Having knowledge educators, school counselors, and parental support are all major factors in finding the best choice for high school students. Analyzing life experiences, financial support, and career opportunities are all key factors determining a positive college experience. As students enter their schools of choice, there will be opportunities to make an impact at home, with diverse communities, and in the global environment.

Educators never stop learning; check out our available graduate degree programs  to hone your skills and promote lifelong learning and academic excellence.

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Overwhelmingly, individuals who are intrinsically motivated to achieve academically perform better than those who are only motivated by fear of failure or as a result of external pressure from peers or family members.

Naturally, intrinsic motivation is highly beneficial for high school students; however, it seems that many students suffer from a lack of the “drive” necessary to realize academic success and end up being pulled toward graduation by their teachers as opposed to leading the charge and pursuing their education with a sense of passion and pride. The looming question for educators, then, is how to foster intrinsic self-motivation in high school students.

While there is no guaranteed method of promoting self-motivation within students, and many factors including environment, parental engagement, socio-economic status directly affect self-motivations, there are a number of strategies that teachers can employ to assist their students in taking ownership of their own success and ultimately build within themselves the desire to succeed.

Strategies for Fostering Self-Motivation

Provide Autonomy

The first step educators can take in fostering self-motivation in their high school students is to provide students with as much autonomy as possible by allowing them to have a voice in their learning process. As an example, some students work better in groups, while others are more productive when they are able to work independently. Providing students with choices for the method in which they accomplish learning goals allows them to bypass obstacles in the way of learning styles that are not effective for them. As an example, when introducing a new concept, a teacher can provide students with multiple pathways to the same goal.

Perhaps the teacher is introducing a new concept such as the sonnet form in an English class. The instructor could prepare a guided worksheet with questions related to the form but then allow students to complete the information via the modality of their choice. Some students may prefer to answer the questions while listening to a lecture. Others may prefer to simply look up the answers in a textbook. Still others may prefer to listen to music on their AirPods while looking up the information on their cell phone or another electronic device, while another may wish to work with a group of peers to locate the information.

The overall point of providing students with choices is the elimination of barriers to learning. Teacher flexibility is the key to giving students a voice in the manner in which their learning takes place. Ultimately, teachers should provide the roadmap for the material that students should learn but then permit the students to choose the manner of learning that is the most efficient for them. This concept is the first step in promoting self-motivation in high school students.

Avoid Brain Strain

A second method for promoting self-motivation is to avoid so-called brain strain resulting from excessive assignments or creating a stress-filled environment. In the past, some educators seemed to take great delight in making their classes as intimidating and difficult for students as possible.

While rigor is critical to any quality curriculum, a teacher who approaches a class by telling students that they rarely give “As” has probably already reduced the intrinsic motivation of the class by 75 percent. Course content should be shared in a manner that is focused upon building student understanding as opposed to focusing on making a course a challenging to pass as possible. Once some of the stress is removed from the environment, students see greater rewards from their work, which promotes the development of increased self-motivation.

Teaching Comprehension

A third approach to increasing self-motivation among high school students is teaching for comprehension as opposed to attempting to “cover” a certain number of concepts within a school year.

Often, the exploration component is eliminated from the learning process in an effort to meet arbitrary deadlines. When students are given time to fully develop an understanding of lesson content, they build confidence. When they are rushed and pressured, confidence is often lost. As a result, the more a teacher focuses on individual students’ levels of comprehension, the greater their confidence and self-motivation will become.

Tangible Examples of Success

A fourth and final strategy for promoting self-motivation in high school students is to provide them with tangible examples of success. Many schools fail to take advantage of the valuable resource of alumni who have led successful lives after graduation. In most cases, people enjoy sharing their accomplishments with others, and many alumni are both honored and more than willing to speak to younger generations about their success stories.

Students need to see the possibilities of what they can achieve through hard work and determination, and meeting individuals who walked the same halls and sat in the same classrooms as they are sitting in today is an excellent way of demonstrating the correlation between self-motivation and long-term success.

Ultimately, intrinsic self-motivation is challenging to teach. Although it sounds counterintuitive, teachers sometimes need to “trick” students into a self-motivated mindset by creating an environment that fosters their individual academic and personal growth. Simply talking at students and telling them they need to be more motivated will never work. Instead, students must be surrounded by success stories and given in voice in their learning experiences.

Often, students are underestimated and, as a result, are “spoon fed” curriculum content. Providing students with greater autonomy within a supportive and engaging environment will promote the development of self-motivation to the point that it becomes a life-long habit.

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