Case Study

 Writing my case study reflection was enjoyable. The person I interviewed was a coworker of mine. It was interesting to see her in a different way. She is such a competent teacher and confident in herself and her decisions. However, getting to hear her background story was interesting to put a twist on my view of her.

    She grew up in a neighborhood that was not that diverse, however, the schools she attended were. She went to elementary and middle school in the School District of Lancaster. Her parents decided to send her to a private Catholic high school. "Sandy" went from having all of this diversity and culture to a school that lacked those areas. She enjoyed high school and always wanted to be a teacher. Her school made her meet with a school counselor and she showed Sandy all these wonderful private Catholic colleges that offered her majored. She picked a school got in, and after being there for one week, she hated it. The girls in her dorm were "snooty" and rich. She want to come home immediately. After speaking with her parents they made her wait it out an entire year at the Catholic college. When she did decide not to return she felt as though teaching was not the right career path, even though that was something she wanted to do her entire life. 

      Many cases or case study you read about, the client does not enjoy the classes her or she was taking, however, Sandy does not follow this pattern. The college she went to was such a traumatic experience for her that she ended up switching majors when she switched schools. However, it was not the classes that turned her off from the career path, it was the experience she had at that school. 

I was able to easily relate to Sandy's story. My first choice my whole life was to go to Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. Growing up right outside of Philadelphia, I could think of no where I would rather go. Perfect location, great sports,  and a great reputation.  My high school guidance counselors brought in admission counselors from all over the place but specifically Pennsylvania. I requested a visit from Saint Joseph's and got to talk to the counselor and meet with him. I was still set on Saint Joseph's, however, for some reason I started to apply to all these different schools.       

   Altogether, I applied to six of them. I toured every single school I applied to. After stepping foot on Saint Joseph's campus I automatically hated it. The types of people that I met were not very nice. Most of the students were dressed in designer clothing and were not very welcoming. I was so upset to see that my dream school, was not as great as it seemed. I am a laid back person who grew up in the middle class. If I had not visited that school I would have never known and would have went there and could have potentially had a terrible experience. I thought of this idea after writing my paper. Luckily, I see Sandy everyday at work, and I asked her if she ever visited the private Catholic school she started out at. She said she did not. Her parents did not think it was that important to visit the schools. 

       Many parents do not think it is important to visit the schools their children are applying to. For many reasons they do not want their child to miss school or it might be too far away. However, this could have stopping Sandy from making the mistake of going to a school she did not enjoy and having to start all over when she came home. I think about many people who do not have the resources to visit a school they wish to go or apply to. As school districts and guidance counselors, we need to do a better job of making these schools more accessible to students and their families.