On Thursday, Jan. 3, parents and students filled the Schreiber High School Library in Port Washington to hear recent graduates share their wisdom about how to successfully navigate high school and the transition to college.
This “Meet the Graduates” panel discussion is an annual event co-sponsored by the Schreiber HSA and AGATE of Port Washington, a parent organization that advocates for an appropriate and challenging education for all students in the district.
This year’s panel of college freshmen and sophomores was moderated by AGATE co-president Leigh Richards and included Dylan Langone of the University of Maryland Honors College; Sarah DeMarino of New York University; Sherry Shi of the University of Pennsylvania; Ian Kohs of Rochester Institute of Technology; Jonathan Lin of SUNY Binghamton; Julia Ruskin of Princeton University; and Emily Ma of Duke University.
When asked how well Schreiber had prepared them for college, the panelists were in agreement that they were well-prepared for the academic rigor of their college coursework and often felt they were better prepared than many of their classmates.
Several of the students gave credit to Schreiber’s AP and Honors offerings, as well the Research program, for helping them develop the advanced writing, research, and critical thinking skills necessary to excel.
Several of the students emphasized that adjusting to college life can be every bit as challenging as adjusting to college course work. They discussed learning to do their own laundry, shop for their own groceries and make a whole new group of friends after having the security of the same social group for years. One student shared the initial difficulty he had making friends in a big school, saying that he learned that making new friends can require a willingness to put in the effort and step out of one’s comfort zone. Another said her first year in college taught her the importance of self-care, balancing long days of hard work with healthy sleep and eating habits, drinking enough water, spending time with friends and enjoying the environment around the college.
There was a consensus that one of the greatest challenges of the first year of college was learning new time management skills to handle the more demanding workload combined with more free time. In tackling this challenge, they felt that the experience of balancing academics, clubs and athletics at Schreiber was helpful, but the learning curve was still steep.
When the students were asked what advice they would give 8th-graders about navigating Schreiber, they recommended getting to know your guidance counselor early on, as he or she can be a valuable resource. One panelist recommended that high schoolers consider whether an issue they may think of asking a friend or other adult about could be something they could take to the guidance counselor to help build that relationship.
The panelists also advised younger students to pursue what they love open-heartedly and take advantage of Schreiber’s opportunities. Although it can be difficult to balance academics and extracurriculars, they considered their experiences with activities like Science Olympiad, the student newspaper, the Spring Musical and sports teams to be well worth it.
