For seniors, this time of the year is one of the most stressful. There is only a few months before graduation in which they must compete all of their High School Credits and finish applying to their top schools that they want to attend next fall.

According to the head of the College Center Lianne Musser, about 68 percent of all seniors at LT go to a four year college after High School with an additional 25 percent who attend COD.

Deciding on a college can be a difficult decision for many students. When selecting colleges, students find it necessary to find a school that they feel fit to be a part of. There are also many questions a student must ask themselves while deciding on a school.  Will the college offer financial support? Does the college have the students preferred major? The list goes on and on.

“Students choosing colleges have to add in the factor of financial aid comforts that appeal to the student,” said Principal Brian Waterman.

Overall, there are many different schools to apply to that have different aspects of college life, but the way students have been selecting colleges over the years has been misguided.

Colleges and universities that students plan on attending like to protect their students in every way that they can. Just about 30 years ago, speakers and special guests were invited to these great institutions to spread their ideas. Some were very liberal and some were very conservative. Now, colleges and universities limit some form of free speech and have less or even zero guest speakers and guests because of how society has taken offense to everything. Schools ban guest speakers because the students feel uncomfortable about what they have to say when it comes to debatable issues. Waterman in his opinion believes that any guest speaker can have some sort of negative criticism from students.

Throughout a person’s life, one may see things they may not like to see and hear, but they have to deal with it whether they like it or not. College is not one big safe space. Take it from Robert J. Zimmer, President of the University of Chicago. He wrote an article this past August about choosing colleges.

“One word summarizes the process by which universities impart these skills: questioning,” he said. “More fundamentally, the process of questioning demands an ability to rethink one’s own assumptions, often the most difficult task of all.”

Questioning is the only way for anyone to learn. By taking difficult subjects head on results in a better form of understanding a tricky issue. Universities and colleges though, are not focusing on their main mission statements.

“Universities should be clear about their core educational mission-to provide students with the most enriching education possible underscoring the importance of diversity among students, faculty, and visitors-diversity of background, belief, and experience,” he said “Without this, students’ experience becomes a weak imitation of a true education, and the value of that education is seriously diminished.”

Not confronting ideas is a hard way to learn. Musser dislikes the fact that certain schools such as DePaul University last year did not allow certain guest speakers onto campus because students felt the speakers were too conservative. Faculty members at DePaul felt that the speaker’s words would cause certain unrest with the students.

“When I was in college,” explains Musser, “it was a place where an aggressive, assertive exchange of ideas was welcome. Colleges from what I hear are allowing more liberal guest speakers and less conservative ones.”

When an idea is thrust into education that students won’t accept, they may regret it because it is imperative that all angles of topics are heard.

There is still enough time for students to change their minds about which colleges to apply to. If some already have earned a full scholarship, then go to that college and get your education. For those who have made a decision, good luck with earning your degree, but remember this: always question the difficult topics. If students truly want to learn in college, they must question what they are learning. By not questioning, students might not receive the education that they seek.