Throughout senior year, students get asked the same questions that are along the lines of “What are your plans for school?” or “Where do you want to go?” Upon entering their final year of high school, seniors either know, have an idea of, or are completely clueless about what college they plan on attending after graduation. After many tours, applications, and research, they eventually make their decision and prepare for the next chapter of their education and their lives. This article is about my experience as well as others in choosing the college that was the best fit.
Amelia Cleveland: The University of Alabama
All I knew about my ideal college was that I wanted it to be a considerably big school that was a reasonable distance from home and would give me great scholarship opportunities. After participating in camps at colleges over the summer and going on numerous campus tours, I still was not able to figure out what college I saw myself at until I was a quarter into senior year. During the summer, my parents wanted me to tour The University of Alabama. Now, Bama was a school that I was touring only because my parents wanted me to, I did not think the school would be a big interest. The day before my tour, my dad and I drove up to Tuscaloosa and my dad wanted to drive around the campus to get an initial feeling. Little did I know that I would fall in love with the university’s campus in that hour of driving, and the fact that I loved it so much made me excited for the next day. The tour only made me more invested in The University of Alabama. After learning more about the school and how much money they offer for my GPA and ACT score, I was pretty much sold, but I still wanted to think about it. When I was going through the application process, I noticed that I was putting more effort into my Bama application over the others. I was then hit with the realization that I was truly seeing myself as a student at Alabama throughout my application for the Honors College and the Randall Research Scholars Programs due to the amount of effort I was putting into them. That was the “aha moment” that signified I was set on The University of Alabama.
Martha Odom: Sewanee University of the South
Martha knew what college she wanted to go to after touring over the summer before senior year, but before the summer, she only knew she was looking for a liberal arts school. She came across Sewanee because it was one of the only Episcopalian colleges in America. With her newfound interest in the university, Martha started doing research on the school. She learned that 99% of students live on campus for all four years as an undergraduate and inferred that the university encouraged an environment based on building community. She also discovered that Sewanee has a reputation for emphasizing writing as an important skill and requires students to take extra English and Writing courses, heightening her interest in Sewanee. Martha and her mom scheduled to tour a variety of schools over the previous summer, starting with Sewanee. Some of the observations Martha had about the university were that it is the most beautiful campus she has been to and that students can experience all of the seasons, not just hot or cold temperatures year-round. The school is built on thirteen thousand acres of land, known as “The Domain,” but is compact, leaving most of it undeveloped. In terms of location, Sewanee is found almost isolated but an hour away from two of Tennessee’s bigger cities: Chattanooga and Nashville. On her tour, Martha learned about scholarship opportunities in the arts that were specifically applicable to her, including the Fellowship in the Arts Scholarship. She continued touring some colleges, but after reassessing all twelve she had visited, she knew Sewanee best fit her needs in terms of school size and focus. She had felt the most connection with Sewanee and it set the bar for comparison with every other school she toured. In her words: “When I picture myself at college, I picture myself at Sewanee.”
Luke Harris: Loyola University New Orleans
Going into senior year, Luke knew that he wanted to go to a college that would offer strong scholarship opportunities that would apply to him. He originally started looking at Loyola due to his interest in their law school and knew a few Ascension graduates that went to the university and enjoyed it. When doing his research, Luke learned that the community was close-knit but not too small of a size. Additionally, he likes that Loyola’s campus is composed of high-quality, historic architecture and located in New Orleans, a fairly big city. Therefore, he said that this means he will have access to many internship and professional opportunities. The school allows students to have easy access to good graduate programs at both Loyola and Tulane due to the universities’ close proximity to each other. A final aspect of Luke’s interest in Loyola is the notable religious studies program in a religious environment with emphasis on Catholic and Jesuit values.
Though there are different experiences and interests for every high school senior, the bottom line is that these things impact where students see themselves going to college and entering the next stage of their lives.
