Why Thornton seniors are choosing 4-year Universities

By Cameron Schaffer on June 4, 2019 in Features

In the year 2019 job competition is at an all-time high. With students applying to college at rates we’ve never seen before it’s more important than ever to “secure the bag” or in other words obtain financial security in this ultra-competitive world. Love it or hate it everyone has to make money. The path to financial success isn’t linear, there are many paths to take. The most prominent path would of course be a 4-year university. Most students that are set to graduate choose a 4-year university because there are so many options for what school you pick and what major you decide on. College can take your life in many directions from teaching to computer science and everything in-between. The number of students that will be attending a 4-year college in 2020 will likely be over 20 million but if you go back to 2000 there was only 15 million students enrolled and it’s slightly increasing yearly.

Parker Pare is going to the University of Southern Maine for computer science.

“I chose a four-year college because my sisters and parents went to 4-year colleges. I decided on USM because my dad went there. And i decided on computer science because that’s what my dad does.”

Marcus Cobleigh is going to the University of Maine at Machias to study biology with a connection to wildlife.

“The reason I chose a four year college over the other options that send me straight to working is because, later in life, I want to enjoy what I’m doing and I think that the education from a four year college can put me one step closer to doing just that. I do understand that people go into debt from college, but it’s ultimately the choice that made me feel the best about myself and I knew I would be happier if I went to a four year college rather than going into a trade or the military. The four year college that I ultimately decided on was the University of Maine at Machias. The reason this college was the best fit for me was that it had a more direct major to what I am trying to learn. Machias was also good for me because of the financial aspect. Being from a big family money is tight but they offered me enough money to the point where I couldn’t refuse and it made the financial aspect of college so much easier on my family. My major that I chose is biology with a connection to wildlife. In one way or another, I do think that my choice in major affected where I chose to go to college because of what the major had to offer. The courses for biology at Machias bring more to the table on what I want to learn and carry me into my future, while other college courses within my desired major brought some things to the table, but not enough to beat out Machias.”

Nolan Hayward is going to Emmanuel College in Boston to major in international studies.

“I chose a 4 year college to further myself and test myself. I chose Emmanuel College because I wanted a college that kind of did everything, and I knew I wanted to be in Boston. I decided to major in international studies and that didn’t effect which college I decided on because almost every school I applied to had that major in their program.”

Deciding on a major isn’t something you pick from a hat it’s something you think about your whole life. The question “what do you want to be when you grow up?” is something you’re asked at ages as early as 3 years old and for seniors, this is what their whole school career has lead up to so it’s a very serious decision. Parker Pare took computer-based classes while at Thornton Academy and hopes to have those skills he built up carry over to college but when asked if it’s a passion he simply responded

“I’m just doing it to make money.”

For Nolan it’s a bit different he was an active member in model United Nations during his 4 years in Thornton Academy and always knew he saw himself going in this direction

“I’ve always been interested in seeing the world, I hadn’t heard of international studies until recently but I’ve always had that interest.” Marcus has had a passion for his major and over his 4 years at TA it only grew

“My choice of major in college was something I was dealing with my whole life, but the passion grew more recently. For me, majoring in Biology (with a connection to wildlife), I’ve been a fisherman for a long time and have been in love with the outdoors for a long time. But going through high school, it wasn’t what I wanted to do at first. But once I took a certain class my junior year, it became a huge passion to ensure.”

For some it’s about money but for most it’s something they took up during their time in high school and there’s a reason why they call high school the “formative years”.