College decision season: a stressful time of reloading tabs with a side of stomach aches. Seniors at Palo Alto High School are deciding on their plans for life after graduation, with many receiving acceptance letters to four-year colleges.
Verde applauds Paly administration and the College and Career Center for increasing informational resources about community college and believes that it should not be portrayed as lesser than traditional four-year universities.
Paly senior Amelia Finnis said that there are high expectations put on students to go to a four-year college after Paly.
“Part of that [academic pressure] is going to a four-year college straight out of school,” Finnis said. “What comes with this is a lot of students pushing themselves to take really hard AP classes, dual enrollment, sports, things outside of school and overall stretching themselves really thin, just with the hope that they are going to get into one of these schools.”
According to the 2024-2025 Paly profile, under 10% of students in the graduating class of 2024 attended community college.
However, the Paly administration has recently made great strides in increasing knowledge about this alternative path by creating space in advisory classes and a mandatory junior class meeting to discuss options for after high school.
Finnis decided early on to attend community college and said she felt that it had helped alleviate some of the academic pressure.
“I feel like after making the decision to go to community college pretty early on when college applications started, it has almost allowed me to see from an outside perspective and witness how intense the academic pressure at Paly is,” Finnis said.
On Oct. 25, 2024, representatives from Foothill College’s Apprenticeship Program gave a presentation to the junior class during Advisory, discussing alternatives to college for students over the age of 18 with a high school diploma, marking the first time the Paly administration invited Foothills representatives to promote apprenticeship programs — a momentous occasion that will hopefully be continued in the future.
College counselor Janet Cochrane said that the Paly administration prepares many similar materials to widen the perspectives of more students year-round.
“We include them in all presentations and advisories to educate students about this option,” Cochrane said. “We also host a community college week every year in April with a community college fair.”
According to college counselor Sandra Cernobori, the number of students attending community college has risen from single digits to double digits over her 19 years at Paly.
Even so, Cochrane said there has been a stigma surrounding the idea of attending community college for years, especially in Palo Alto.
“There is a perception that community college is seen as lesser than because it isn’t as competitive and doesn’t require a certain GPA or test score to get in,” she said.
However, community college is a solid alternative to traditional four-year colleges. According to Cernobori, there are multiple reasons that academically strong students may want to attend community college.
“A lot of students who are competitive about four-year colleges might go there to save money,” she said. “The second thing is to maybe figure out what they want to major in.”
Additionally, the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program offers admission to all University of California campuses except for Los Angeles, Berkeley, and San Diego after two years at a community college.
Paly administration has successfully opened the eyes of many students regarding community college and career paths after high school, conveying the message that there are endless possibilities to explore.
“I make a point of saying, if a student gets admitted to their likely school, you should celebrate that just as much as if they get into their reach school, and you should celebrate those going to community college too,” Cernobori said. “All we can do is provide information and encouragement, and then it’s up to people to check it out.”
