College Crunch Conundrums

As November approaches, so does college decision time. Cam High alums reflect on what they wish theyd known.

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As November approaches, so does college decision time. Cam High alums reflect on what they wish they’d known.

For many people, high school is a time to prepare you for the years to come after graduation. Whether it’s going to a community college, university, or straight to work, everyone gets to make a choice about life after high school.

For a number of Cam High alums, it’s a matter of, “I wish I knew then what I know now.”

Mrs. Carla Davis, Cam High class of ’93 said that she struggled to find a subject to major in throughout high school.

“[I wish I didn’t] shy away from harder classes because I thought they were too hard. I stayed away from chemistry and calculus thinking I’d never need those classes but my major ended up requiring me to take those classes anyways.”

Mrs. Davis started her college journey at Ventura College and eventually ended up at California Lutheran University. She now teaches chemistry and physical science honors at Cam High for her first year after transferring from Channel Islands High School.

For students in need of help on subjects to major in, Mrs. Davis suggests for them to take a career guidance class.

“It really helped me a lot.” she said.

Ms. Catherine Williams, Cam High class of ’06, looks back at her high school years wishing she knew more about the finances that came along with being in college and wants students to be aware of that too.

“Financial aid options are so important for kids to know about especially today for the rising costs of text books and college tuition. Federal funding and private loans tend to have higher interest rates than federal loans.” she said.

Ms. Williams attended Oklahoma State University for two and a half years and is currently at California Lutheran University and serves as a student teacher in Mr. Mark Storer’s English classes.

Even graduates as young as Megan Arnold,  who graduated Cam High last year with the class of 2014,  would like to have known a few things before attending college.

“[I wish I would have] prepared for the SAT and ACT and given myself enough time beforehand to study and take it multiple times.”

She also said that she regrets not asking for help in classes she was having a difficult time in.

“If I was struggling in a class I tried to stick through it when looking for help or changing classes would’ve been a better option. It would’ve helped my GPA.”

Arnold is currently attending Brigham Young University in Idaho and said that she loves it. She wants students struggling in high school to know that life gets better in college.

“If someone out there is having a hard time enjoying high school, there’s college to look forward to. I wish I would’ve done more extra-curricular activities so I could’ve gained some experience in clubs. But, there’s no time like the  present and I’m grateful to attend a great university that has so much to offer.”