COLLEGE BOUND Great Expectations High-school seniors eye the future. PHOTO BY DANIEL L IPPITI L , DAN ZIMMERMAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS \,= cademic drudgery. So- cial repression. Endless homework. Perpetual boredom. That pretty much sums up the high- school experience. So when seniors finally serve their sentence and prepare to step onto the launch pad of life — college — they are, needless to say, excited. But is eager anticipation the only emotion filling young minds as students take their initial in- dependent journey into the un- known? According to Ethan Ard, a Harvard-bound senior at Okemos High School, the answer, for the most part, is yes. "I am, of course, excited about going to Harvard. It seems that wherever you turn, you hear of someone who went there, works there, teaches or taught there," Ethan says. "The pompous-looking, suit- able-for-framing Harvard cer- tificate of admission," he continues, "is made out to be a guarantee that the holder will eventually be amongst the world's most important people, and it may indeed be." As one might suspect, attend- ing the most prestigious univer- sity in the country is an electrifying prospect accompa- nied by lofty expectations for the future. "And yet, my excitement is coupled with much anxiety," says Ethan. "In my few days vis- iting the campus, I was shocked at just how conceited many of the students are. There is no mis- taking the fact that a great many of them think they are the great- est thing since 'Welcome Back Kotter.' "My greatest challenge in the next four years will be to find a • pocket of normal- cy in the most bizarre atmos- phere I have ever known." Excitement and anxiety? Shoshi Utchenik, a senior at Berkley High School, concurs that mingled emotions are indeed the norm. A talented young artist who will hone her skills at the School of the Art In stitute of Chicago, Shoshi says, "I have a lot of fears. Going to col- lege is an irreversible step, and once there, back home will nev- er be the same. I'm mostly afraid," she adds, "that Pm going to waste my parents' money." But for Shoshi, the fear of leav- ing home takes a back seat to an eager optimism about her soon- to-be address. "Chicago is such a big place," she says. "There is stimulation everywhere in the form of music, writing and the- Swimming teaches David Stegman to succeed in his endeavors. ater. An artist interprets her en- vironment and to live in a place like Chicago can only help." As Shoshi indicates, going away is a thrilling and chilling endeavor. But not all students stray too far from home. Karen Golan, a senior at An- dover High School, will attend the University of Michigan this fall. She is comforted by the fact that U-M is an in-state school. "I think U-M offers the best of both worlds," Karen says. "It's far enough away from my parents that I can enjoy a true college ex- perience, but it's close enough to home in case I need a break." What worries does Karen have? "I'm worried that Pll get way too much homework and that my classes will be too hard. I'm scared that my roommate and I won't get along or that we will get stuck in a dorm we real- ly don't want to be in," she says. "I think that most of my anx- ieties come from the fact that I really don't know what to expect. I envision the way I expect col- lege to be, but I worry that every- thing I picture is completely wrong." Despite her anxieties, like her peers, Karen is ecstatic about the world of opportunities that the fall will bring. "College is going to be so amaz- ing," Karen says. "Finally I'll have something to do on the weekends besides complain about how bor- ing West Bloomfield is. It's going to be one wild and crazy time." College may often be wild and crazy, but the fun comes with a fair share of pressure, academic and otherwise. No one knows this better than David Stegman, a senior at West Bloomfield High School, who will be attending Emory University in Atlanta. Not only will he be in- dulging in rigorous academics, he'll also be entering the high- pressure world of college varsi- ty swimming. But Dave does not anticipate being overwhelmed. "Swimming takes dedication, commitment and time," he says, "but it also teaches you how to achieve and puts you in the right mentality to succeed in all as- pects of life. It really helps." And swimming in college has other benefits. "You get to travel around a lot and get to visit oth- er campuses across the country. It's a great opportunity," he says. Like other seniors, Dave's con- cerns are of a more general na- ture. "I realize that college is going to be hard," he says. I'll be away from home and on my own with no one there to ask me if I've studied for this or that test or to remind me to go to practice. Col- lege is a whole new level of re- sponsibility."