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Photos by Erin Nelson Sweeney
The Shelby County school system offers many resources to students to prepare them for life after high school, including help identifying scholarship opportunities, preparing for their ACTs and reviewing their applications.
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Photos by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
For those planning on entering the workforce, the school offers resume-writing help, interview preparation and email etiquette as well as hands-on training in a number of fields, from the auto industry to the medical industry, at its Career Technical Education Center.
As the class of 2025 prepares for the first day of school, many are already thinking about the big decisions they’ll be making before graduation.
From college or trade school to joining the workforce or military, seniors have a variety of paths to choose from. Counselors across the region are prepared to help students, and their families, talk through their options.
Local schools offer services to help prepare students for their futures, such as career prep courses and technical classes that provide students with career skills, but the main focus is on college preparation.
“My goal is for every senior to have a plan,” said Anna Jones, the career coach for the Chelsea school zone.
Jones said the Chelsea school zone and Shelby County Schools offer a host of resources for students as they prepare for life after high school. At Chelsea High School, Jones estimates 65% of students will go to college, while 35% will choose other paths.
Jones helps college-bound students identify scholarship opportunities, prepare for their ACTs and review their applications. For those planning on entering the workforce, the school offers resume-writing help, interview preparation and email etiquette, among other things.
Shelby County Schools also gives students hands-on training in a number of fields, from the auto industry to the medical industry, at its Career Technical Education Center. That lets students get a jump on what they may want to do, Jones said.
The key, Jones said, is starting early. She goes to the Chelsea elementary and middle schools to talk about careers. The high school also offers a job-shadowing opportunity for students to get exposure to careers they may be thinking about entering.
“I tell juniors to start thinking now,” Jones said.
To do that, students should identify potential schools or careers of interest. For college, students should begin collecting the documents and material needed for applications. This can include transcripts, essays, resumes, recommendation letters and more.
“One of the things I really always recommend students do … is get to know potential recommenders on both an educational background and then professional background, too,” said Andrew Colson, director of undergraduate admissions at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “Truly having that person be able to talk about the student as a person, ... that’s typically the type of references that really shine.”
Meeting with college representatives or faculty from academic departments of interest and visiting campuses can also be an important step in deciding on a school, he said, and it can let schools know which students are seriously interested.
“College visits are incredibly important. It’s one of the biggest deciding factors for any student,” Colson said. “Until you do a tour, you don’t actually really see the real life-campus. … That's kind of what the whole point of a college tour is, to really help the student see if this place is going to be the right fit for them not only academically, but just socially.”
Colson also recommends students gain leadership experience to help make their application stand out. This can be anything from sports or leadership in a school organization to work experience in a managerial role or community service.
His final piece of advice to students: get organized and stay on top of deadlines. Several colleges in the state open their applications on Aug. 15, so Colson advises seniors to apply early.
Colson has a message for parents watching their kids step into adulthood this year, too.
“This is the time when our students will really start to need to be a little bit more independent,” he said. “This is a really good time for students to get prepped for taking care of affairs, keeping up with deadlines themselves, of course with help from the parents. But, we want to talk to the students just because we want to make sure they are making the right choice for themselves.”
High school senior to-do list
- Get organized: Stay on top of application deadlines and make sure you have all necessary documents.
- Talk to your school counselors: They offer resources to help apply to schools and are there to talk you through your options.
- Make campus visits: Seeing a college in person can be a deciding factor in choosing your future school.
- Get to know potential references: Having a list of people that can provide good, meaningful recommendations is helpful when applying to colleges or jobs.
