Poll: NMC remains top choice of high school seniors

Fifty percent of the graduating class of Marianas High School prefer to further their education at the Northern Marianas College, despite the ongoing accreditation problems of the Commonwealth’s lone tertiary institution.

According to a survey of 200 senior students at the oldest and largest high school in the CNMI, half of those queried said they will continue their education at NMC this Fall 2010.

Meanwhile, roughly 65 say they will go to either the University of Guam or Guam Community College. About 37 said they will join the military after graduation, while less than 10 students want to pursue education in off-island schools.

A few individuals, for their part, admitted they will be taking a break either to work or rest after graduation from high school.

Leo Pangelinan, NMC’s program manager for the College Access Challenge Project, said that NMC was a leading choice among the senior students because they are not quite ready to leave their families on the island. They also believe that NMC is a safe and comfortable place to start college.

In yesterday’s “Start Smart Senior” workshop organized by NMC and the Public School System, a handful of students said that despite the issues raised against NMC’s management and operation, they still deem it as the most viable option—a “smart start”—for college education.

“For a lot of students, they choose NMC as they are not quite ready to leave the islands or their families. Many want to test the waters and they feel NMC is a safe and comfortable first [step] to take for college because it is less risky and requires lesser investment for students and their families,” Pangelinan said.

The same poll is scheduled to be conducted today among more than 250 seniors from Saipan Southern High School and Kagman High School.

Pangelinan said they’re expecting to generate more interest from the second batch of participants.

Fully funded by federal grants to NMC, the workshop aimed to work collaboratively with students and prepare them after graduation.

Yesterday’s sessions focused on how to get students interested in college, get them excited, and brief them on the processes. They were also introduced to the possible financial educational assistance that they can get.

Among the topics were “I am ready for college,” “What’s college like anyway?”, “Applying to college: the first step,” “How do I pay for college,” and “Conquering financial aid forms.”

This early, Pangelinan said, MHS seniors are already firm in their decisions and choices after graduation.

However, he is optimistic that more will continue to show interest in NMC, believing that seniors have yet to see the “big picture” of what the college could offer.

“We’re very happy to know that many of our seniors still want to enroll at NMC. At the end of the program, we believe that more will be encouraged too,” he said, adding that students made their decisions despite the “inadequate” information on what NMC can actually offer to them.

Pangelinan suspects that the event was the students’ first actual interaction with the college.

Students interviewed by Saipan Tribune admitted that majority of them have already applied for college.

Randy Camacho, 18, said he’s excited to become an NMC student come Fall 2010. He has applied for the criminal justice program.

“I believe NMC will open more opportunities for us so we can have better lives and better jobs. As student, what they’re giving us today is a vision of the future and showing ways to find financial grants for our college. I intend to go to NMC…it’s closer to home and whenever my family needs me I will be here,” he said.

For 18-year-old Dajung DJ Pak, although she made the decision to join the military, she’s not discounting the possibility of going to the college in the future.

“I’d like to be more independent…and help my parents with my education,” she said.