Paul Zam tuikum SHS ihsin a tteh hnuah Taylor University ah kumkhatnak a thok. Phunsaang a thlen ah high school hnak in caa lamah a har deuh ding ti cu a thei nan, a tlawngih traditions nuammi pawl ah ruatban lo. Thla khat sung university a kai hnuah, a har ding nan, a nuam ding a zum.

Zam cu scholarships le a dang bawmnak thawn tlawng ah kai nan high school a thok ah college luh daan di

ng a thei lo.

“Phunkua ka si lai ah phunsaang kai daan ding thu tamtuk ka thei lo,” Zam in a ti. “Ka theifiang thei dingah in zirhtu le BACI in in bawm tak.”

Tu khalah SHS ah college kai dan ding thei lo tlawngta an um lai. Himi hi Laimi le EL tlawngta pawl hrangah a harsa sawn ziangahtile college kai thei dingih thil an tuah ttulmi le bawmnak tuah daan an theih lemlo.

Phunhra kaimi Run Tha Par tla phunsaang a kai duh nan kai daan ding a theifiang lo.

“Phunsaang ka kai duhnak cu hna ttha neih ka duh cule ka innsang tla ka cawm duh,” Par in ati, “Asinain, college kai dingin ziang ka tuah ttul ti ka thei n

gaingai hrih lo ih ruangah bawm ka ttul.”
EL le Laimi tlawngta pawl hrangah a har deuhnak cu American tlawngta pawl vekin thil tuahdaan bawmtu an nei lo.

“American tlawngta pawl cu an nu le pa tivek in an bawm thei,” EL department chair Amy Peddie in a ti. “(Laimi le EL tlawngta) pawl cu khangvek bawmtu ding an nei lo ziangahtile an nu le pa tam sawn cu college an kai dah lo, an kai khal asile America ih thil tuah daan an thei lo cule mirang ttong tla an thiam lo.”

Cumi tlunah, Peddie in college hrang thil ngan daan ding, ngan ttul mi le ttongfang college application ih an hman mi an thei lo maithei tiah a sim.

“Ka khan ka zirh ah khami ka zirh,” Peddie in a ti. “College hrangih caa an ngan ttul mi le an ngan daan ding tivek hi ka zirh tum ringring. Cule, college application ah ttongfang an hman mihi nitin ih hman mi asilo tik ah theih a har thei, cu ruangah an tuah lai ah an duhsanmi na zir vivo a ttul.”

Peddie in a iPass khan ah SHS ih phun hleihnih kai pawl college application tuah daan a bawm. Powerpoint kha a tuah ih cumi a powerpoint sungah college application tuah daan a sim. Thil malte in a thok ih a hmaisabik ih a sim mi cu ziangtik ah thil pawl pek an ttul ti a sim. Cumi hnuah, academic rusume tuah daan a zirh ih, essay ngan daan le tlawng hril daan tla a zirh.

College application lawng si loin, tlawngta pawl in college luh theinak ding ah tuah ttul tivek tla an buaipi a ttul. College luh dingah thil tampi tuahsuak ttul mi a um. College pawl ih an zohmi thil pawl cu an GPA, khawsa tlang bawm, le tlawng pawlkom ih telnak.

“College pawl in caa na thiam maw thiam lo an zoh thupi bik,” tlawng counselor Trician Bender in a ti. “Asinain, na hmat pawl lawng an zoh nawn lo. Tu cu mi na kaihruai daan le pawlkom tivek ih na telnak pawl an zoh ve thlang.”

Peddie in ruahnak a pek duhmi cu SAT pawl hrangah thinphang ding hi a silo ati. A thupi cu a thupi ko nan, a dang thil pawl hrangah caan pektam a thupi ziangahtile college pawl in an zoh ve.

Cule, Peddie in tlawngta pawl kha high school ong dingin tuah ttulmi pawl le ziangvek cammibuai onnak caa an ngah duh theih dingin mi a forhfial duh. Phunsaang kai ding pawl ih an tuah ttulmi hmaisabik cu high school onnak caa lak asi.

A dang harsatnak Laimi le EL tlawngta pawl ih an ton theimi cu an caa a si. An caa an theih theilo asile an saya/sayama le an rualpi tivek an sut thei.

“Tlawngca na hrangih a har asile na saya/sayama sim aw,” Bender in a ti. “Caa na theih thiam lo asile a tam sawn cu na saya/sayama ih zirh daan na thei thiam lo ruangah a si thei. Curuangah, na saya/sayama ttha ten sut awla na thei thiam sawn ding.”

Bender in tlawngta pawl kha tlawng pelh lo ding in forhfial duh.

“Tlawngta caa thiam thei lo pawl hi a tampi cu tlawng an kai lo ruangah a si,” Bender in a ti. “An tlawng caa an taan tam tuk ruangah an caa tuah ding a tamtuk. An pelh caan ih an caa le tu an khan ih an tuahmi caa an tuah ttul ruangah an thin a har thei.”

Tlawngta pawl ih an buaipi ttul mi dang pakhat cu college hrang peisa pek daan a si. Hna tampi ttuan le peisa bak ih tlawngkai ttul lo in college kai a theih.

“A awl bik cu FAFSA pawl hnen ihsin bawmnak dil a si,” Peddie in a ti. “FAFSA cu cozah hnen ihsin bawmnak a si ih na pek sal ttul nawn lo mi peisa tla an lo pe thei.”

Scholarships le peisa cawi tla ngah. Peisa cawi tak cu na college kainak hrangih peisa na saan theimi a si ih na pek ttul sal mi a si. Scholarships cu cozah lo le organizations pawl ih pek mi peisa a si cule himi vek bawmnak cu na pek ttul sal nawn lo.

“Scholarships pawl cu phun hleihnih ah tlawngta pawl in an apply tambik asinain ‘the big four’ tiih ka kawhmi thusuhnak pawl cu tuan deuh ih tuah a ttha,” Peddie in a ti.

Peddie ih “the big four” thusuhnak pawl cu college pawl ih an suh tambik mi pawl an si. Cumi thusuhnak pawl cu: hmailam ah ziangvek saw na tuah duh? Ziangvek harsatnak saw na tawn dah ih na harsatnak kha neh dingin ziangsaw na tuah? Ziangvek bawmnak saw na hrangah thupi? Hmalam caan ah ziangvek bawmnak saw na tuah duh?

A netabik ih Peddie a caah duhmi cu zianghman last minute ah tuah hla. Ziangahtile, last minute ih na tuahmi cu last minute ih na tuah lomi thawn an tthatnak an bang awlo.

Par cu tu ah college kai dingin ziangvek thil a tuah ttul ti a fiang hri lo nan, mi ih an bawmnak in a fiang leh ko ding ti zumnak a nei. Cule mi ih bawmnak in college tla a hrangah luh a har lo ding ti ah zum.

“Mi ih in bawm ruangah a hartuk awm lo,” Par in a ti. “College kai zo pawl in in bawm ih cule zirhtu tla ka nei.”