Getting close to graduating high school can be a scary, overwhelming time. Many students may have questions about what to expect, how it is outside of high school, and should they attend college. Jacob Underwood is a student that graduated from GHS a few years ago. He is a great, hard working, and honest student to look up to and take advice from. Jacob is currently attending Virginia Wesleyan University. He may be able to answer some of the questions high school students wonder.

Lots of people tend to say you won’t be successful in life unless you go to college. This is not always the case. There are many people that never went to college and are very successful in their life. Some people think it is important to go to college. Jacob believes, “it depends on the person, it’s not for everyone. It’s a very valuable experience and you can take a lot from it but you need to know if it’s for you or not. It depends on what you are wanting to do with your life. If you’re not planning on going into a job that requires college it is probably not the best option for you because of the cost.” 

There can be many great experiences with going to college. Jacobs’ favorite thing currently in college is, “Social experiences, the friends you make in high school are great but in college it’s better, in my opinion. You have people that support you and it’s really like having a family on campus.” There can also be some difficulties in college though just like there is in high school. The hardest part for Jacob is “Balancing everything trying to balance school and work and taking care of yourself is difficult.” Some people may also wonder if it is difficult to get into a college. “I would say if you really want to go to college it’s not that hard but you need a reason to want to go and it gives you a reason for needing to be there and wanting to be. It depends but I would say no for the most part,” is whatJacob believes. 

There is some advice Jacob can give high school students to be prepared for graduating that not everyone may know. “Prepare for the fact that if you go to college you’ll have a big turning experience and what I mean by that is during your time in school you’ll be very stressed out and may be failing and having a hard time socializing, there will be something that causes you stress. As you go farther into college it gets easier and you realize it’s something everyone goes through. Also in high school you think you know who you are but really you truly find out in college.”

Jacob is an amazing person to take advice from and hopefully have gotten some common questions or worries answered. Some final advice from Jacob is, “get involved in things, and do so in college for sure that will help hold you accountable for things. Get involved as soon as you can and start learning time management. Come to college with a base.” Start to learn what you can now so if you plan on attending college you are already a step ahead.