On Oct. 11, the FUHS administration held a seniors only, college prep day where students attended four different workshops intended to make the process of transitioning to college life simpler.

Throughout the day, students received guidance from english teachers on how to effectively write a college essay, how to navigate financial aid and student loans and received sage advice from alumni on their personal college experiences.

As a student who attended senior day, I felt the alumni panel was the most helpful. Instead of having an overwhelming amount of facts spewed at me, I was able to learn from real-life experiences of alumni, who, not long ago, were in the same shoes as me.

Being able to bounce questions off of them and receive unbiased, realistic answers was extremely beneficial.

The alumni were all great examples of success stories, but their different paths and upbringings made them relatable to a diverse amount of students.

Students present met an alum who went straight into university; from his experiences, students were able to see themselves going down a similar path.

He spoke about his decision to enroll straight into a four year university, rather than going to a junior college first, like many of his classmates. This decision was fueled by his desire to learn how to be on his own and function away from his family and friends, whom he had been surrounded by his entire life.

The rest of the alum were ones who chose to get their associates degree at a junior college before going to a university. I especially enjoyed listening to them because I feel like choosing to attend a junior college is seen as taboo in many high schools.

Documenting the success stories of students who started out attending junior college and ended up in schools like the University of California, Los Angeles and California State University Fullerton, was helpful and eye opening.

We also discussed how important being able to open up and ask for help is when it comes to navigating life on a college campus.

The Alumni instructed us to not be afraid of asking college counselors for help, and the importance of getting involved on campus

Although much of what we learned on senior day was quite repetitive to what we have been told all year, being there was beneficial for me as a student as it got me talking, questioning and thinking about my future.

I was then probed to discuss my options with my family and friends. We talked about things like GPA, money, housing, Cal State, UC application deadlines and a variety of other college related topics that I doubt would have crossed my mind as conversation topics had it not been for senior day.