Students get ready to make college decisions

Students huddled around in the chill morning air, eyeing IU’s campus, trying to decide where the next part of their lives would take place.

With fall starting, high school students have begun searching for a suitable college. Some are excited; others are nervous. Many are ready to move on.

Students expressed their desires and aspirations on a tour of IU’s campus on the morning of Sept. 13. Some had traveled hundreds of miles for their college visit.

“We came up from Georgia,” said Taylor Briede, a junior at Milton High School.

She was accompanied by her father, Dave Briede, who graduated from IU in 1985. She’s interested in criminology, pre-med and potentially playing soccer.

Tucker Curts, a senior at Mount Vernon High School in Fortville, Ind., said he’s been to Bloomington many times, and IU is his first official college visit.

“I’m already admitted here,” Curts said. “I don’t know where else I’ll apply.”
Charlie Carson, a senior from the St. Louis area,  said he decided to visit IU because of family connections, as well.

Briede still doesn’t know exactly what she wants in a college.

Carson has already visited Vanderbilt University and Fordham University.

“I want a good education because, honestly, I’m probably not going to play for the NFL,” he said. “I know my brain is my best tool for success.”

The parents accompanying their students expressed what they value in a college as well. Dave Briede said he wants only the best for his daughter.

“I want her to have opportunities, a good education and things that match her interests,” he said. “Security is important, too. As a father of four daughters, she’s my first in college. I want her to be safe.”

Tucker Curts’s father, Mike Curts, a 1992 graduate of IU, said he’d be fine if his son went to college in Bloomington.

“IU is the quintessential college experience,” he said. “Wherever Tucker goes, I want him to find a place where he fits in to the education experience and the culture.”

Charlie Carson’s mother Louise Carson said the college hunt has been a little stressful, but finding the right one is important.

“I just want him to graduate with a good education, and most importantly, be
employable,” she said.

All the students expressed one common interest: they’re ready to move on.
“I’m just excited to get out of high school,” Taylor Briede said.

Tucker Curts said he’s ready for college now.

“If I could move in today, I would,” he said.

Follow reporter Stephen Kroll on Twitter @stephenkroll1.