With the semester almost over, deadlines for things such as college applications, scholarships and the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) are coming up quick. At this critical time in preparing for our future, many students remain unaware that these due dates that may affect their future success are rapidly approaching. In addition, many students also remain unaware of the resources Burke has to offer in order to meet these requirements, and therefore, remain unprepared.  

Walking through the cafeteria and asking seniors if they thought Burke had prepared them for college this year, the resounding answer was “no.” However, when asked how they thought Burke could improve, few suggestions were given. Some answers that were given though, were along the lines of advertising their resources more, adjusting the grading scale to be more compatible with colleges and having more one-on-one events as opposed to large group events where some might not benefit. 

Burke has some truly great opportunities available to help us, such as EducationQuest making frequent visits, different college representatives stopping by to recruit and help potential students fill out applications and more. However, the lack of availability and advertising gives the notion that Burke doesn’t care if people utilize them.  

These forms of advertisement don’t need to be fancy or expensive by any means. Simple things like having the counselor aides make posters about upcoming college visits, college representatives visiting, or even just signs advertising online resources that help students fill out applications or find scholarships. The school already has a tab on the Burke website dedicated to “Advanced Education” under the “Counseling” tab, that has links to things such as college applications, financial aid and scholarship websites, and more. This is a great resource available for upperclassmen to use, but not many people know that this exists.  

Overall, our school has a variety of resources to help students. This being said, these resources aren’t being made readily available to be used by students, ultimately adding unnecessary stress to the lives of students and their guardians.