By FULLER ROYAL
Staff Writer

In the seven years I have been writing education stories for The News Reporter, the one thing that has amazed me the most is the obsession that so many parents have over which college their children will attend and the subsequent pressure they apply to their children.

It’s that nerve-wracking, stomach-churning, vomit-inducing pressure that makes youngsters dread the SAT and the college application process.

And it happens every year.

So many parents – and by default, their kids – think they have failed if they don’t get into the college of their choice the first time around.

Here’s the sad fact.

A lot of really smart, well-rounded youngsters don’t get into the “top colleges” for one reason. There isn’t room.

With the exception of a handful of schools – UNC-Wilmington being one of them – the state’s public colleges have not been able to keep up with the state’s growth.

They have neither the room nor the funds.

And so, the SAT – that dreaded of all “über tests” – is used as an arbitrary clearinghouse.

Students must score a minimum, set by each college, to even be considered for admission. Then, the admissions offices will look at grades and extracurricular activities.

I think it’s a copout to deny potentially good students a chance at college simply because of their SAT scores.

Let’s face it. Most of the successful folks in this county who earned degrees from the state’s four-year schools probably couldn’t get in with the SAT scores they earned in the 1970s, 1980s or even the 1990s.

That’s why, if a sharp student doesn’t make the cut, he or she should always request – and insist on it if turned down – a one-to-one interview with an admissions official.

I know of students who failed to make the cut on their first try, but managed to impress an admissions officer enough to make it through.

SAT scores don’t always ring true. High scores don’t always equal success.

I’ve interviewed high-scoring-SAT students who I wouldn’t allow to take care of my dog, much less operate a motor vehicle. And I know kids who didn’t do well on their SATs who, today, are “movers and shakers.”

Not every student is cut out to attend a major college. Too often, a college isn’t a good fit for students and they don’t go back for their second semester. They stay home at Christmas and attend Southeastern Community College – which is where they should have started.

My daughters will attend SCC for their first two years. It just makes sense. The financial savings are significant and students get an extra year or two to mature and determine their career paths.

And if it’s an issue, a diploma from a four-year school doesn’t list where the first two years were spent.

I photograph and write about scores of high school seniors every year and my counsel to them – if they are completely undecided – is to go to SCC. If they tell me that’s where they’re going, I tell them that’s a good idea.

And guess what?

SAT scores are not a part of the SCC application process.

And guess what else?

When students transfer from SCC to four-year institutions, the SAT is not a part of the process.

Should students planning to attend SCC take the SAT?

Yes, by all means. It still allows students to know what areas they should concentrate in or to be prepared for once they transfer to a major school.

But there shouldn’t be this driving pressure to make these huge scores. No matter what a student does, he or she will not be able to make great increases every time it’s taken.

All SAT takers reach a plateau.

Here’s a note. Students who want to have high SAT scores need to put down the iPod, the Game Boy, the remote control and the mouse and pick up a book.

Voracious readers score the highest on SATs. Students who have varied interests and read about those interests will score higher.

High schools, by their very design, can never offer the types of courses that increase SAT scores. It’s not allowed.

Tough courses are not popular with students or parents. And frankly, there are few teachers who can or will teach tough courses.

In fact, I can’t think of more than two dozen teachers or classes in our four high schools who teach true college prep courses.

Those teachers who do are labeled as harsh, yet every student who survives the experience tells me those classes did more to prepare them for college than any other course they took.

I believe that the SAT is primarily the domain of a student.

It’s his or her personal work ethic as well as the mental abilities he or she has inherited.
Now, back to SCC.

Statewide, there has always been a stigma attached to going to a community college.

For years, there has been the view by certain “elites” that it was beneath them to attend a community college “whose only entrance requirement was a pencil.”

Nothing could be further from the truth.

There are a dozen degrees available from SCC that will make more money over a lifetime than most of the degrees earned at a university.

The exceptions, of course, include doctors, lawyers, engineers, architects and bankers. But, we can’t all be doctors, lawyers, engineers, architects and bankers, nor would we want to.

Several years ago, a good friend of my wife’s was married to a college recruiter. He said some interesting things, which I’m sure still ring true today.

He said that the major colleges don’t recruit freshmen like they once did. They will cherry pick a kid here or there who excels in sports or academics.

What colleges really like are incoming juniors.

He said that freshman classes have a much higher cost per student than upperclassmen. Most problems on campuses are caused by freshmen, who lack the maturity levels of the upperclassmen.

When a college enrolls a transferring junior, “the bugs are worked out.” Transferring juniors typically have the game plan figured out and know what they want.

They also, typically, understand the costs of an education and don’t waste their time or their parents’ money.

They are far more focused.

I am an advocate of college. I think it’s important for any student with the right aptitude to go.

But, college is not for everyone and we barely do anything for those who aren’t going. That’s another column.

For now, my advice to students is to work as hard as you can in class. Go beyond the requirements. Read more than you need to. Make yourself read about things outside of the course requirements. Read a newspaper every day. Read magazines. Build something. Create something. Do something good for someone else. Go on line and see what’s going on in the world at CNN, MSNBC and Fox.

Own the SAT. Don’t let it own you.

If you aren’t ready for a major school or it’s a matter of finances – then SCC is the place. It’s a good transition.

You can attend school, work and grow up a little.

To parents: Your status in local society is not going to be damaged if your child doesn’t get to wear a certain shade of blue or red or purple or teal or green or old gold.

And if you think it does, then you might just need some counseling yourself.