(June 8, 2012) — So you’re done with high school. Congratulations! Where are you going now? Remember stressing out over college applications? Or did you really have to do them? Some have broken their backs trying to barely get all the work done for their AP classes while others took the PSAT two or three times just to prepare for that SAT that will define their future forever. Choosing colleges is probably one of the hardest decisions that seniors have to make in their life. “There aren’t that many schools in California,” says Amalia Hakobyan. “Many of the big ones like UCLA and USC are overrated, and it’s really hard to get in because it’s so competitive. Just keep your options open, because there’s so many schools outside of California.” Some feel like they got into the college of their dreams, where they are going to pursue their dreams and get a well-paying job to aid them in their future. But not all feel the same way. “I was kinda disappointed because I thought I was getting into a college in California although I got into Franklin College Switzerland in Europe,” says Hakobyan. “You just look at what the school has to offer for you and as a new experience.” Some feel more nervous than others about leaving home and staying in a dorm with roommates. “There’s only a select few [people] that I’ll really miss,” says Lyanne Natividad, who will be attending New York University in the fall. Still, she says, she is “a little nervous and excited about going to New York.” In order to help Natividad and her peers prepare for the transition, Clark staff offered a seminar called Senior Horizons on May 17 to share the stories of Clark graduates like Zohrab Markosyan, a 2008 Clark graduate who attended GCC and recently finished paramedic school, or Emily Burke, a 2009 Clark graduate who began a major in neuroscience at USC. There were ten panelists in total, with career paths ranging from film/TV production, working as a military equipment mechanic to developing a mobile marketing company. “It was very eye-opening,” says Tevin Youn. “It taught me a lot about how hard it was to open a business. Most of the people there, it took them years to figure out how to open a business in California. I learned that you should just take all the opportunities you are given, no matter how small they are.”