Courteney Wilkinson is the most recent winner of the College Raptor $1,000 scholarship award certificate! Courteney was kind enough to answer a few questions about her college search and journey. There are some great insights in her Q&A that might be helpful to college-bound students.
Check it out!
Tell us about yourself!
I am 24 years old and had started off majoring in Philosophy. Though I still find the field to be extremely interesting, I switched gears when I realized it wasn’t what I wanted. I live in Philadelphia and nanny part-time to help pay for school. In my free time, I am an avid hiker, camper, and yoga enthusiast.
What drew you to major in Public Health?
I had studied abroad in 2016 and on my trip found more and more public health crises throughout the world. When I returned, it was as if all the public health problems in my own city lit up like a wildfire and I realized that I couldn’t sit idle to them. I wanted to help in the best way I could. At first, I thought majoring in Nursing was the route I wanted to take, but after a semester of clinical education, it became clear to me that I would rather be on the proactive side of health care. Thus, public health caught my eye.
What were the benefits of starting at a community college before transferring?
Starting my path off at a community college helped me hammer out what I wanted to move forward in most without costing me a ton of money in the process. I was able to take a few classes at a time while working and saving money for when I would transfer.
How much time did College Raptor save you with its comprehensive school pages?
I truly think College Raptor saved me a ton of time. Before College Raptor I would go to individual school sites and spend hours just trying to find out vital information. College Raptor cut those hours into minutes and showed me exactly what I needed to find in a short amount of time.
Which schools did College Raptor turn you on to? Would you have considered them before using College Raptor?
Ultimately College Raptor showed me two schools that had online Public Health programs. Kent State University and the University of Arizona. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go fully online and probably wouldn’t have considered these schools prior, but College Raptor showed me the benefits of each school. Then, since it narrowed my search down so concisely, I was able to choose the best program for me.
Affordability played a big role in your search. What does “affordable” mean to you? How did CollegeRaptor help you find it?
Affordable means that the tuition rate isn’t monstrously high, but the graduation rate is. I needed to find a school that was monetarily affordable and also worth my time. College Raptor shows you all that information when they show you the informational school pages.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give students in the college search process?
Take your time. Finding the college that would best fit your needs can be stressful, but with patience and tools like College Raptor, it is possible.
Congratulations again, Courteney! Everyone here at College Raptor wishes you the best.
Like Courteney, you can discover your ideal college fit with our free match tool!
