Northport Class of 2021 shares its plans for the future

Having just graduated, the Northport High School Class of 2021 has been granted the most rewarding, yet nerve-wracking, gift of all: their future. The world now presents to the graduates a diverse array of options, from college to the military to vocational schools. Tasked with leading lives of grace, virtue, kindness and success, Northport High School’s resilient seniors – 448 strong – must now begin to take on this monumental challenge.

To get an idea of how the Class of 2021 has prepared for their immediate future, staff at the high school’s paper, The Port Press, released a survey asking students to list, name, and elaborate on their post-secondary plans. Precisely one quarter of Northport High School’s graduating class responded. While this may only represent a fraction of the graduates, the data and information collected serve as a legitimate and profound microcosm of the Northport High School Class of 2021.

Of the 111 students surveyed, 92% indicated they have enrolled in a four-year accredited college or university to kickstart their future. This statistic comes with very little surprise, associety, in general, has vigorously pushed the mandatory attendance of college into the national American psyche.

Roughly half of Northport seniors attending college have stuck to their homegrown roots: 45 out of the 102 university-attending graduates surveyed will pursue higher education in the state of New York; 68% of those attending college in NY will enter into a SUNY (State University of New York). For New Yorkers, SUNY schools are incredibly attractive, offering quality education at an affordable price.

Of those surveyed, nine Northport High School seniors have enrolled at Binghamton University, followed closely by Stony Brook University with six. Both of these SUNY schools have been awarded highly commendable rankings, with Stony Brook University recently jumping into the list of Top 40 American universities, according to QS University Rankings.

Regarding collegiate majors, a long and winding trend has been further cemented: STEM majors are being selected at a much higher rate than liberal arts majors. The popularity of STEM majors (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) have officially outnumbered and outlasted that of the humanities. According to surveyed Northport High School seniors, 55 will be majoring in a STEM-related field, while just 12 will major in a humanity.

The most popular major among surveyed Northport High School seniors was in the field of medicine; the business/finance field came in second.

While the vast majority of Northport seniors have applied to four-year institutions, it is worth mentioning those who have chosen alternate, equally admirable, post-secondary paths. 5% of surveyed graduates indicated enrollment in a community college, with the majority attending Suffolk County Community College.

The appeal of a community college is deeply rooted: these institutions are affordable, offer certification opportunities, provide on-campus housing, and, in some cases, make the transition from higher education to the workforce easier and more seamless. Northport graduates attending community college have reported a rich selection of majors – from business to dentistry to hospitality and tourism. A similar ratio of STEM-to-humanities majors, however, is apparent in the survey responses.

The military also presents itself as another vessel on which the Class of 2021 may set sail. Out of the pool of surveyed Northport graduates, two designated enlistment into the U.S. military, one entering the Marine Corps, and the other entering the Army.

As soon as the Northport High School Class of 2021 threw their blue-speckled graduation caps high into the air, they were handed a ball of clay. To shape this ball of clay, they have each chosen a number of differing tools. No one method may be better, but their successes (and failures) will help them lead lives their community can take pride in.