Letter to the Editor

Dear Lowell Students,

In the process of searching for schools, I had many different people tell me many different things, and it got awfully confusing. I remember looking over my Common Application, and asking myself, “Why did I put this school on my list again?” I am grateful to the many teachers who helped me find clarity. They allowed me to bounce ideas off of them, and guided me through my confusion. However, other Lowell teachers weren’t helpful at all; they were rigid in their opinions of certain types of schools and based their “information” on their personal beliefs.

Help us find the “right” school based on our interests and who WE are, not on what you believe.

Some teachers present information on how to find the “right” school, but there are so many different colleges out there that this information ends up generalizing college by type. The most harmful stereotype is the one put on private schools. I have been told that private colleges are filled with snobby rich kids, and I, as a Lowell student, would not fit in. Though private colleges and universities aren’t flawless, they offer many positive things. Personally, I wanted to go to a smaller school and get a liberal arts education, two things most large public colleges simply cannot offer. The bottom line is: private and public colleges and universities have their pros and cons, and we owe it to ourselves to explore schools individually, rather than generalizing them by type. When teachers choose to fixate on one flaw rather than presenting the whole truth, we students, seeking advice, are hurt.

Finding schools can be scary and confusing, and the last thing we need is for someone to be telling us what to think. I’m not saying that opinions aren’t useful, but be sure you know the difference between beliefs and facts. To all you sophomores and juniors: ask for help, but take the advice you hear with a grain of salt. And to teachers: if I ask you what you think about a college, by all means, tell me everything you like and don’t like about the school. Help us find the “right” school based on our interests and who WE are, not on what you believe.

Sincerely,

Emily Moon, 2017