Now that college decisions have come out, seniors discuss their experiences choosing their next steps in going to college and share tips with future seniors on the rise.
There are many options for students after high school, from community colleges to campuses within the University of California (UC) system to private universities like Ivy League schools. With college acceptances being released in late March through April, most students have decided where they want to spend the next four years of their lives.
To better their chances of getting into college, many students specialize their extracurricular activities around the major they’re interested in.
“I think just being very specialized [with] my extracurriculars for my [history] major, which I think is also an easier major, played a pretty huge role in my college acceptance,” Stanford-commit Casimir Berke said. “I self-studied for the [Advanced Placement (AP)] Euro Exam, got a five, and also worked at a history museum for four years, getting my work published in a history museum.”
Aside from having good extracurriculars, another important aspect of college applications is grades.
“[To get into a good college] lock in on your classes, just get all A’s throughout, and then start prepping for your AP’s early,” senior John Gilbert said. “Extracurriculars are important, but [not having] good grades, that’ll mess you up more.”
There are many factors people consider when picking the right school for them, from location to climate.
“A lot of [my decision] was location, I knew I wanted to go out of state, by the coast,” senior Abigail Clarke said. “The reason I chose the University of Washington was that I just love the campus.”
The campus is an important aspect for any college, as it’s where you’ll be living for the next four years.
“I would say the best thing you can do is tour colleges early on and start to get an idea of what kind of college you want to go to,” senior Cruz Nieva said. “Then prepare based on what those colleges want.”
Participating in clubs is another way students can strengthen their college applications.
“Join a club,” senior Owen Demas said. “If you’re the leader of a club, it shows you’re motivated and have other good character traits. It’s also a good way to meet people and connect with others.”
Applications have many aspects; it’s important to have more than just good grades.
“A lot of these top colleges can fill all their classes [with] people with straight A’s,” Berke said. “But they might not have people with unique interests and hobbies.”
Despite having good applications, many see ways they could have improved their application process.
“Looking back, I could have done better writing my essays sooner,” Nieva said. “So I had more time to revise them.”
Taking everything into account, there are various features to the application process that are critical to a successful application.
“All four years of high school are important, so don’t slack off [for] your first two years,” Clarke said. “Junior year is an important year, but it’s also not as demanding as people make it out to be. Have fun in high school and lock in academically.”
