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VS.
VS.
VS.7featurewingspan • december 11, 2009
OLIVER’S SOUTHERN FOLK ART
Ted & Ann Oliver
1034D Greenville Hwy.Hendersonville, NC 28792
Located in Brookdale Square
Gallery Phone: 828-698-7877Cell Phone: 770-366-4981
web store: www.oliveresfolk.com
Quality Auto CareAuto care for all your automotive needs.
(828) 697-2965
4750 Asheville HighwayHendersonville, NC 28791
Making the choice: College decisions on the minds of seniors
Your pet is the heart of our business.
FISH AND PET’S SHOP
also Puppies & Grooming603 1/2 Greenville HighwayHendersonville, NC 28792
828-692-1143
• Electrical & Lighting • Residential & Commercial• New Construction & Service Calls
Hal W. GordonOwner/Electrician
H.G.E.S.Hal Gordon Electrical Services
Physical Address:4806 Asheville Hwy
Hendersonville, NC 28792Work: 828-893-0102
Mailing Address:P.O. Box 490Mountain Home, NC 28758Fax: 828-693-0103
email: [email protected]
Two year
Public
In-State
Private
Out-of-State
Four year
“I’ve had an offer from UNC-Asheville since fresh-man year. I was looking at bigger schools, but when I broke my ankle they all dropped me. UNC-Asheville was there ready to stand by their offer. It re-ally meant a lot to me. I’ve met some great professors;
I know I can get a great education and I can meet some cool people.”
“I am currently looking at N.C. State, the University of Colorado and the Air Force Academy. I hope to major in aerospace engineering, and they all have great engineering programs. I hope to get a good education that I can use anywhere. While
in college, I will join Air Force ROTC, but the Air Force Academy is my first choice.”
“I’m going to A-B Tech. I’m not positive what to do, and I don’t want to go to a four-year college when it’s more money and I’m getting the same amount of credits. I want to go into dental hygiene. When I graduate, I hope to leave with a degree and good
communication skills. I want to graduate and find a good, steady job.”
“Right now I’m looking at South Florida, Tampa, Florida State, the Univer-sity of Florida and Liberty University. My parents started a prepaid college plan, so if I go to a Florida school, I get in-state tu-ition. I plan to major in music, go on the pre-med
track and graduate with a degree in music, then go to grad school for pharmacy.”
Ian Phillipssenior
Matt McMullensenior
Meredith Fostersenior
Katelyn McCoysenior
West graduate Sarah Lyons had a tough senior year. Lyons was taking AP class-es, held several leadership positions
and was applying to seven colleges. Five of those were private, and all had extremely competitive admissions policies.
“I applied to Furman, UNC-Chapel Hill, N.C. State, Davidson, Berry, Guilford and Wake For-est,” Lyons said. “I wanted to have a nice variety of schools to choose from.”
Despite the array of schools that Lyons ap-plied to, she said that attending a private universi-ty, Furman, has paid off. She said that private col-leges have many benefits public schools do not.
“You get more personal attention from the actual professors, and teacher’s as-sistants rarely ex-ist,” Lyons said. “It costs more, but the experience is focused on build-ing individuals, both academically and emotionally.”
However, cost did play a major role in Lyons’s fi-nal decision.
“The school I was planning on going to, Wake
Forest, did not offer me as nice of a financial pack-age,” Lyons said. “The financial package definitely played a major part in encouraging me to choose Furman.”
Lyons said she loves attending Furman and the short distance between Hendersonville and campus. “I absolutely love the campus size-to-population ratio,” Lyons said. “The campus is nicely spaced out and is very large. The academ-ics are outstanding, and the professors genuinely care about the success of their students.”
by Kyle Keith
Essays, SAT scores, application fees and fi-nancial aid clutter the average high school senior’s brain. Many have one goal in mind:
Finding the college where they will feel at home.West graduate Jessica Springer faced the
same challenge of applying to college. However, for Springer, the task was simple.
“I chose the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill because when the journalism staff spent four days there at a conference the summer before my senior year, I became comfortable with the campus,” Springer said. “I just knew I could fit in there.”
Despite knowing that UNC-CH was her school of choice early on, Springer applied to other universities, including private schools Elon and Mercer University.
When ap-plying to college, cost can affect a studen’ts final decision. UNC, a public univer-sity, has a cost of $17,423. Elon, a private university, costs $37,225.
“Cost defi-nitely played a fac-tor,” Springer said. “Carolina ranks with the best of them in academic rigor, but it also receives state funding. It has great academics for just a fraction of the price.”
Springer said that despite UNC’s large stu-dent body she rarely feels overlooked.
“Groups hand out free candy and balloons, run around with fairy wings, play accordions and dress up as Pacman,” she said. “I love that the school doesn’t feel big. There’s never a time that you don’t see a person you know on your way to class.”
by Kyle Keith
Melissa Baker, a 2009 graduate, knew the University of North Carolina-Charlotte was the place for her the
moment she stepped on campus.“UNC-Charlotte’s location is
really good. There are a lot of dif-ferent things to do around it. The campus is really scenic and simple to figure out where everything is,” Baker said. “ I chose an in-state col-lege because it was close enough to visit Hendersonville, and it was cheaper than an out-of-state col-lege.”
The transition didn’t bother Baker because of the short two-hour drive from Charlotte back home. She said that being in a new place where she didn’t grow up has been a learning experience.
“College is so different from high school. Classes are a lot harder, and you have to be more
responsible for your own work,” Baker said. “I get to spend a lot of time with my roommates when I’m not in class. The only downside is that I have a lot of homework. My favorite part is meeting new people and learning new things. I got sick of be-
ing in the same town with the same people my whole life.”
Baker said in-state colleges are more convenient to students who want to stay close to home. With the gas prices fluctuating, being closer to home is less expensive.
The farther away their college is, the more money it costs to come home for a weekend.
“The cost of gas does affect me because I do spend a lot of money on gas to come home, and I don’t get to come home as often,” Baker said. “My roommate (Leah Schul-er) and I split the cost and ride home together so it’s not too bad. I visit home once a month, and it’s
only about a two hour drive.”by Whitney Howell
West graduate Mitch Justus had a tough decision to make. The two colleges he was torn between were
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Brown University in Rhode Island. Overcome with stress and in-decision, he made his choice right before the deadline: Brown.
“I like the fact that I knew no one when I got here and that I’m getting a totally new experience. At first I was worried about be-ing homesick, but it never ended up being a problem,” Justus said. “Growing up someplace can make you underappreciate it, but I think living in Rhode Island will really help me understand how much I actually like my hometown.”
Justus says high school is easier than college, and Justus has many responsibilities.
“Campus life is good, and I like all the experi-ences that are new to me. I’m glad I don’t go to an in-state college where I have grown up in that area my whole life,” Justus said. “About 90 per-cent of the time I am either playing soccer, eat-
ing, sleeping or doing schoolwork. The workload definitely increases, which is tough to balance when you basically make your own rules about how you live.” Visiting home when at-tending an out-of-state college may be inconvenient. The dis-tance may be too far to drive, and airline tickets are pricey. “The only disadvantage I have found in going out-of-state is I can’t come home very much,” Justus said. “From Rhode Island it’s a 15-hour drive back home, so I don’t plan on driving back. Even though plane tickets are expensive, it’s manageable since I only plan to
visit home once a year.”by Whitney Howell
When people picture the typical college experience they think of four years living on campus in a
dorm at a major university. This is not Ashley Snyder’s college experience. Snyder is a 2009 West graduate who decided to go to a two-year college.
“It took me about a month to decide that I wanted to go to Blue Ridge Community College,” Sny-der said.
She feels that she will receive the same education from BRCC for a much lower cost.
“Some of the reasons that I chose to attend a two-year college instead of a four-year university is that it is cheaper,” Snyder said. “You get the same schooling as a four-year university, and the school
is closer to home.”Snyder said she isn’t missing out on the expe-
riences that most college students have. She still has to take weekly classes, and she still has home-
work to do. However, Snyder has adjusted to life on her own.
“Some things that I have learned are that the transition from high school to college is a lot dif-ferent than I expected,” she said. “There are a lot more homework and papers than in high school.”
Snyder hasn’t decided on whether she wants to stay at BRCC or if she wants to transfer to a four-year university.
“Honestly, I don’t think that I am missing out on a better educa-tion because the classes at a two- year college are the same as a four-year university,” Snyder said. “If I
decide to transfer, my classes will transfer.”by Kim Randall
Taking her first step onto the North Carolina State University campus, Nettie Fisher was excited about her new adven-
ture. Fisher chose a four-year un-versity because it was the best fit for her desired career.
“I decided to attend a four-year university because I wanted to study graphic design,” Fisher said. “Most graphic design programs are offered as four-year programs.”
Money is often on the mind of seniors applying to college, and it can be a deciding factor between a four year-university and a two-year technical school.
“Cost was a consideration in choosing which school I wanted to go to. I wanted my education to be affordable, but I wanted to go to a quality school,” Fisher said. “N.C. State has an excel-
lent design school, but it is still affordable.”Two-year colleges are sometimes thought to
put students at a disadvantage because of the lim-ited degree options.
“I feel that going to a two-year college would have put me at a dis-advantage simply because of the field I want to study,” Fisher said. “If I had gone to a two-year college, I would have been able to take some art classes, but I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to study design right away.” Fisher said that because design programs are four years, it made the most sense for her to attend a four-year university. “I am better off starting the program my fresh-man year of college,” Fisher said. “The four-year program at N.C. State will prepare me to pursue my
master’s degree.”by Kim Randall
Public
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Less expensive tuition
Classes possibly taught by grad students
Larger student body
Larger class sizes
Private
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More expensive tuition
Smaller class sizes
More personal attention
More scholarships offered
2009 West graduates share their experiences
Out-of-state
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Visit new places
Further from home
Meet new people
Extra tuition fees
In-state
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No extra fees
Better availability for grants and scholarships
Generally closer to home
Better chance of being familiar with the students
Two year
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One-third tuition of four year
Apprentice/internships in community
Vocationallyoriented
Quicker degree
Four year
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On campus housing
More degree opportunities
Study abroad programs available
Many on-campus activities