The College Crunch is On for Local High School Seniors

Senior Tate Adams' eight applications include Harvard College which requires an in-person interview.
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By Lauren Frasier, Capital High School Intern to ThurstonTalk

dairy queenWinter is a busy time of year for many people. The days are shorter and with so many things to be done, it can be stressful, especially for high school seniors. While already balancing school, extra-curricular activities, and other commitments, these students also are beginning to apply to colleges.

The task of choosing, applying and figuring out how to pay for college is in full swing for local high school seniors.

Senior Max Powers has 3 applications submitted with 3 more to go and his sights set on a career as a neurosurgeon.
Senior Max Powers has 3 applications submitted with 3 more to go and his sights set on a career as a neurosurgeon.

Application deadlines range from as early as November to as late as March. For local colleges, the University of Washington applications were due on December 1, while Western Washington University is due on January 31 and Central Washington University’s isn’t until March 1. Many students have already started applying, but they’re just getting started.

Capital High School senior Max Powers is applying to six colleges, Emory University, Cornell University, University of Washington, Seattle Pacific University, California Lutheran University, and Johns Hopkins University. He’s submitted three applications already, with hopes of hearing back from those schools in January.

He hopes to major in Neurobiology or Human Biochemistry, with a minor in Economics. When asked what he wants to become one day, he replies. “Probably a neurosurgeon and hopefully eventually open a small clinic.”

He has big dreams, and in order to achieve them he has to tackle the next big step: College.

Where you decide to go to college is one of the biggest choices you make, and seniors are beginning to feel the pressure.

The College Crunch is on.

The process can be daunting for many students as there are many different things that go into an application. Senior Tate Adams explains, “We’re in this really weird stage in applications right now. Some schools look for high GPA’s or SAT’s while others look at the whole person and their activities.”

Senior Tate Adams' eight applications include Harvard College which requires an in-person interview.
Senior Tate Adams’ eight applications include Harvard which requires an in-person interview.

Having to juggle all the requirements colleges ask for in applicants can be challenging.

Adams has applied to four schools so far – Harvard, Pacific University, University of Portland and University of Washington. He plans on also applying to Princeton University, University of Chicago, Macalester College, and Marquette University. He wants to pursue a major in Political Science on a Pre-Law track, eventually becoming a lawyer and politician.

For Harvard, he not only had an application but an interview as well. “It really helps to show off things that aren’t on the application,” he shares.

Jen Boelts, the Career Counselor at Capital High School, says that colleges look for specific things in applicants. “You have to think about the people that these colleges want as their students. What can you do to make this college better?” This will help students see what they need to do in order to be competitive at different schools.

Boelts adds, “A lot of the information about what a college looks for in an applicant can be found on their homepage.”

It’s not just the name of the college or the major that determines which school students select.  “Make sure you apply to schools that are in places where you would be happy living,” Adams says. “You’re moving to these places for the next four years.”

Once students make the difficult decision of where they want to go, they start the long process of finding out how to pay for college.

Boelts urges students to begin the application as soon as possible. “The earlier you start the better,” she says. “Those who apply early are often put on lists for different financial aid opportunities, better housing, and many other opportunities.”

She also hopes students pay attention to financial aid deadlines. “I usually find that students know the deadline for the actual application, but not the deadline for aid.”

Powers has already started looking for scholarships. He was selected as Capital’s representative for the Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program, which is a national scholarship program for high school seniors who have shown leadership skills, achievement in academics and who are involved in community service. “I’ll be working really hard to get it,” he says.

Adams is waiting until he hears back about acceptance before looking for scholarships. “Most of the scholarships I’m going to apply for are school specific,” he explains.

The CHS Career Center helps students plan for the future.
The CHS Career Center helps students plan for the future.

College is a big investment, not only in money, but in time as well. As long as students are happy with the colleges they choose, the investment will certainly pay off.

Now that applications are being submitted, the excitement and reality of college and the future is beginning to take shape. Anticipation and nervousness are both felt by applicants. “After sending in the applications, I feel a lot less nervous and more excited,” says Powers.

After admission is done, students must make their choice by National Decision Day, May 1.

For local seniors, the crunch is definitely on.  But with careful planning, use of their school’s Career Counselors and advice from the adults in their lives, the road to college is wide open.

 

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