High schools will soon be holding their graduation ceremonies, and we’ve noticed one trend we hope will be a passing phase.

Imagine if a friend told you he was going on a vacation. Your first question wouldn’t be the route he planned to take, but the destination. That’s what’s most important.

Yet too often these days, the attention our young graduates receive is focused on what college they are attending in the fall. The more prestigious the institution, the better. An Ivy League education is broadly considered superior to that of a state university. Attending a four-year school is perceived as being better than attending a community college for a couple of years then transferring to a four-year school. Trade schools, specialty schools, study abroad programs, and even delaying the beginning of higher education fall even lower on the prestige level.

The idea that there is one preferred means of reaching a destination is less accurate now than it has ever been. There are an abundance of options for today’s young people, opportunities that may not have existed even a few years ago.

But the idea that one specific path is better than another can create an enormous amount of pressure on young people to conform to that sort of conventional wisdom. Perception is not reality, but, admittedly, perception can become a person’s reality (for all practical purposes) because perception has a potent influence on how we look at reality. When it is suggested that one path is inherently better than the other, graduating seniors may accept as fact what may not actually be true for that student.

There are any number of factors that may make one path preferable to another based on the student’s strengths, passions, maturity, learning style and educational goals.

One factor that we are just beginning to consider more seriously is value. Put another way, return on investment. Is a private school with a prestigious reputation and a $50,000 tuition really a better choice than a public university with a $10,000 tuition? Student loan debt has increased by 104% over the past decade, with an average of $37,175 per student today.

At some point, students (and parents) are bound to start making that cost/benefit analysis. Think of the people in your community who you believe to be the best in their field. Where did they go to college? Do you even know? What’s more, does it even matter?

No, the important question we should be asking our high school graduates is where they want to go, not how they choose to get there.

For some, the destination is reached via a specialty or trade school. For others, it might be two years at the local community college or four years at a public university. Some will take some time before beginning that journey. Others may pursue their future through military service.

All of these choices should be respected.

Harvard, Yale and the other Ivy League schools have produced Presidents of the United States. So have Allegheny College, Eureka College, Capitol Business College, Miami Ohio and Southwest Texas State Teachers College.

As graduation season begins, let’s make a point to ask the seniors in our life “What are your interests after high school?” instead of “Where are you going to college?” Let’s celebrate their dreams, not their mailing addresses.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.