Samantha Inthapanhya
Staff Writer
May is one month away, which means College Decision Day is creeping up on seniors. Seniors will soon have to make their final decisions and commit to their future colleges. Now that the stress of college application deadlines are over and students are hearing back from their potential schools, it is time that they must start to compare them, and find the right school.
Many students apply to multiple colleges and universities in order to increase their chances to get into a school. They also do it to have a variety of schools that they might be interested in. It is common for students to apply to up to 10 schools. Some seniors that are choosing from multiple schools are Aidan Bradley, who is choosing between the University of Connecticut, University of Colorado at Boulder, and University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Sunny Nguyen, who is choosing between University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Stony Brook, and University of Connecticut.
There are many different determining factors that may attract students to pursue a certain school over others. Tuition, majors/programs, proximity, and size are just a few factors that are very important when determining one’s future school. Senior Emily Mager has committed to Fairfield University due to the factor of free tuition. Mager says, “I am fortunate enough to have a mother who works at the school I want to go to. All I had to do is get into that school and I could get free tuition.”
Having the right majors and tuition are important to Bradley. He says, “Each one has genetic engineering and biochemistry. Uconn tuition is great for in-state. Depends on financial aid for UColorado.”
Senior, Gabe Herrera is focusing on the best options for his future based on tuition rates and certain programs his potential schools offer. Like many students do, Herrera is looking to start his furthered education at a community college such as Gateway or Housatonic, then transfer to a university.
Every student has a different process for applying, determining and committing to their future college or university. Some students may feel like Bradley who says, “It is generally easy about choosing the schools you like and what they offer. But, it’s a tiring and stressful process because you have to think about what’s best for you.” Or some may relate to Nyugen who says, “It’s so hard because I am split on two of my top schools.” On the complete other hand, some students may feel like Mager, who said the process was, “Easy because I didn’t have to decide between multiple schools.”
The college decision making process can be either an easy decision or it can be stressful, based on individuals’ college processes. What is important to know is that once the decision is made, the rest of senior year will hopefully be a breeze, where seniors can enjoy their last couple of months at Foran.
