by Avie Hopcraft

Fall, with its beautiful autumn colors, is flying by, and the winter season will soon be closing in on us. Catoctin has definitely been busy this past month, as well as the town of Thurmont. Colorfest was a blast, and Sunday was a gorgeous day to walk around to all the vendors.

Many activities have taken place at Catoctin, such as makeup senior picture day, the Powderpuff Football game on October 14, the Sophomore Car Wash on October 22, and the ASVAB exam that took place October 25. One of the main topics that needs to be addressed is colleges—that time will be here before you know it, juniors and seniors, especially for you seniors! Multiple colleges recently visited Catoctin High School for the juniors and seniors to sign up to meet with them and hear about what their college has to offer, including Washington College, Penn State, Shepherd University, and Frederick Community College. Upcoming college visits include the University of Scranton on October 28, Hood College on November 2, Salisbury University on November 11, Stratford College on November 21, University of Baltimore on November 28, and Frederick Community College (FCC) on December 5.

So, all you juniors and seniors, if you can make it to these upcoming college visits, it would really benefit you: find out important information on what they offer and get a feel if one of these colleges might be a good fit for you and your educational goals. Also, check out the local community college, FCC, for you students interested in attending a community college to save money, and take some time to figure out what four-year university you really want to attend. Also, don’t forget to take advantage of the many scholarship opportunities; sign up for as many as you can, so you can get the most amount of money to help with college expenses. Even though it’s a lot of hard work in the beginning, it pays off so many times over in the long run. Juniors especially need to take advantage of college visits, scholarships, and other opportunities related to careers and colleges, because junior year is the pinnacle of your high school career, and it will be the grade colleges look at the most.

In reality, it’s tough nowadays for teens, with their loaded schedules, work, and other responsibilities; these days, everybody is expecting you to know what you want to do with your entire life, and it can be extremely stressful and overwhelming. So, that’s why it’s good to be prepared and have a general idea of what you’re interested in and what you’re not interested in. The guidance office always extends open arms to help you when you’re struggling; it’s good to talk to someone who has a general idea of what you’re going through in getting ready for college and life beyond high school. Just remember, your hard work pays off ten times over in the long run, and take advantage of the guidance offered to you to help you along the way. It’s okay to not know exactly what you want to do, but whatever you end up doing in your life, be hardworking, try your best, and surround yourself with others who will help you be a better person and give you a hand along the way.