[originaltext]For most college students, the main goal of higher education is e

For most college students, the main goal of higher education is earning a degree that will lead to a successful and satisfying career. But Jennifer Simons argues that there are many valuable things people can learn before they even attend their first college class. Simons is the director of undergraduate admissions and recruitment at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Simons says the college application process can teach young people a lot about supporting themselves and making connections with others. In the United States, the process starts in the final two years of high school, when students are about 16 or 17 years old. This is the time when young people are forced to consider what happens after they leave high school. They face questions like, “Where do you want to go to college?” and “What will you study?” There are so many choices available to students that these questions can seem very difficult to answer, Simons says. So she suggests that young people try to get a better understanding of themselves before making any decisions. Simons says that young people should start keeping a journal, or written record, of their ideas well before they start thinking about college. They should ask themselves questions, like “Who am I?” “What do I want out of life?” and “What are my strengths and weaknesses?” Students should then try to write down answers to these and other questions once a day, or even weekly. The answers to these general questions, she says, will likely give students a better understanding of how to answer more specific questions. They will have a better idea about where they might want to spend four years of their lives while working toward a college degree, for example. It can also give young people ideas of what to talk about in writing samples that most college applications require. In addition, she says, students who know their own strengths will better understand how to ask people they know to write letters of recommendation for them. Simons says the more young people know about themselves, the more likely they are to make decisions that will make them happy. This includes more than just decisions about college. Something else students can take from the application process, Simons notes, relates to how busy the process makes them. High schoolers already have their studies, personal relationships and possibly jobs to worry about. The application process requires them to find schools that interest them, find out how to request admission and prepare application materials.
Questions 23 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.
23. What is the main goal of higher education for most college students?
24. What can young people learn from college application process?
25. What does Simons suggest young people do before making decisions?