Seniors Share Their Criteria for Applying to College

Photo Credit: Olivia Porcaro/Achona Online

Senior, Sarah Ercia rushes to finish her common app in order to apply to college. Ercia explains that applying to college “is stressful and time consuming.”

When applying to colleges, many decisions have to be made. The student has to decide where to apply, how many schools to apply to, what size of school they want to apply to, and where they want their school. These decisions paired with the pressures of managing many Honors and AP classes, sports team commitments, and work responsibilities make a senior’s life much more difficult.

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The majority of Academy’s seniors plan on applying to Southeastern schools.

Senior, Riley Rubio states that she is applying to all southeastern schools because, “the weather in the southeast is my favorite and what I am used to. I do not cope well in cold weather.”

On the contrary, Senior, Sophia Mastro is applying to multiple northeastern schools, including Penn State and Villanova.

She claims, “I really want to live in a new atmosphere and experience a change of seasons.”

Kali Bradley states that she is applying to Pepperdine, Chapman and Loyola Maryland, all of which are located in California, because “it is a completely different feel, there are different opportunities out there and it has always been my dream as a kid living there.”
(Photo Credit: Olivia Porcaro/Achona Online)
Kali Bradley states that she is applying to Pepperdine and Chapman , both of which are located in California, because “it is a completely different feel, there are different opportunities out there and it has always been my dream as a kid living there.”

Another important decision for students to make when applying to schools is how many they are going to apply to. Some students only apply to one or two schools; however, others apply to an abundance of colleges.

Ellie Abdoney is one of the students who has decided to apply to only a few of her top choices.

Abdoney states that she is only applying to a couple of colleges because “I have already decided on my dream school, Auburn, and so I do not want to waste time applying to colleges that I know I do not want to attend.”

Unlike Abdoney, Alessandra Ruano is applying to ten schools.

She explains “I’m really indecisive and I feel like I’ll freak out if I don’t have a lot of choices. I have a top few but I’m so bad at narrowing things down that it’s probably better for me to apply to a lot of schools.”

Senior, Katie Quackenbush took many college trips this summer, and is applying to almost all of the schools she visited.
(Credit: Katie Quackenbush (used with permission) Senior, Katie Quackenbush took many college trips this summer, and is applying to almost all of the schools she visited.

 

The qualities that a student is looking for in a school is also crucial to her decision on where to apply. Some Academy girls put academics before social, while others are the opposite. Location, size and choice of majors also play a huge role in the decision making process. Victoria Baldor, a member of the Class of 2017, is applying to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill because of their strong academics, fun atmosphere, and cool weather. Baldor states that going on college trips aided her in her decision about where to apply.

Senior, Victoria Baldor, snaps a picture while on a college tour at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as seen on her Instagram.
(Credit: @vmbaldor/Achona Online).
Senior, Victoria Baldor, snaps a picture while on a college tour at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as seen on her Instagram.

College applications play a major role in the stresses of senior year. However, once these seniors are accepted into colleges, it will all be worth it!