Being in high school, it can be difficult for students to determine which path they wish to follow after graduation.  Whether it be college, the workforce, or the military, there are many roads to travel and not much time to decide which one to choose.  

When the students of Seymour were posed the question, “What do you want to do after graduation?” the outstanding majority (74.4%) out of 280 people said “college.”  From nurses to English teachers, the diversity of future plans for college is great, and it shows the unique culture that has been formed in a school where many choose to follow their own path. Another portion of students (3.3%) answered that they planned on going into the military.  All branches of the military were represented.  A larger percentage of students (6.7%) said that they have decided to go into the workforce after graduation.  Whether it be welding, becoming a flight attendant, or working from home, there are many choices that Seymour students have regarding their future careers.

Even more survey participants chose other or undecided.  For those who chose undecided, it’s understandable.  Being a high school student is difficult to begin the transition from high school to adult life, and making life-changing decisions can be stressful for even the most well put-together person. 

Another aspect of the survey included comparing Seymour to the rest of Indiana and the nation. According to data from the NCHEMS Information Center, about 61.32% of high school graduates in Indiana go directly to college for further education (2018). This leaves us to infer that the remaining 38.68% chose another path after high school graduation. To go straight into the workforce or military is completely optional, yet it will still benefit the graduates. Although after the pandemic (2020) the data has changed. Studies show that during the pandemic and the fall afterwards college rates decreased: “Total undergraduate enrollment dropped 3.1% between the fall of 2020 and the fall of 2021, bringing the total decline since the fall of 2019 to 6.6% — or 1,205,600 students” (University Prep Schools). These are some of the lowest enrollment rates that have been seen in the last 50 years. On the bright side, between the years 1992 and 2018 the percentage of high school graduates that chose to go straight to college from Indiana has grown 10.82%. As a nation the statistics show a growth of 9.35% of more students going directly to college. As our nation and state grows and proceeds to advance hopefully the percentages will continue to grow.