Countdown to College

Last school year a group of Wallkill Valley High students kept journals about their college planning and shared them with Advertiser-News readers. This year, as the clock ticks, they have once again allowed us to peek into their “diaries” for a glimpse of the ups and downs of the college search. Maxwell Williams I can confidently say without even the slightest hint of hyperbole that the past two months of my life have been a nightmare, one which will not cease anytime soon. The source of my torment is something that affects practically every high school senior in the United States and its horrors will not undo themselves until I receive that one gratifying and elusive word: acceptance. Of course, I refer to the “rewarding” experience of applying to college. Never before in my life have I undergone a process so incredibly annoying, or stressful, or confusing. It is as if I have entered some labyrinth that I can not find a way out no matter where I turn. Who would have thought that the process of planning my entire future would be such an undertaking? To make matters worse, I have absolutely no idea what I want to do nor where in the world I want to go. Sometimes, I fancy myself being an educator but by the next hour or so I want to be a psychiatrist, and then a doctor, then maybe a linguist...or perhaps a pharmacist. Furthermore, I have found that actually getting in to college will be harder than I previously thought. I have been forced to think about my life and my credentials in a way I never have before...and that’s frightening. Rachel Mitchener Admissions season has officially begun! This summer and the beginning of fall were designated to exploring colleges I thought I might apply to. My mom and I took trips to cities like Boston, Washington, D.C., and New York City to do this. I really got a sense of college life, especially when I visited Boston during school. I finally discovered the qualities of schools that I like, don’t like and the ones that make each school unique. My favorite school, compared to the ones I visited, was Boston College. There, I attended a football game, tested food and witnessed school spirit to accompany the high standard of academics. Surprisingly, I was not fond of Boston University, though I liked it online. This is why it is necessary to see schools in person. Other schools that I visited and plan to apply to are Northeastern, George Washington, NYU, UNC at Chapel Hill, James Madison, Penn State, Ramapo and the University of Maryland, a school that I applied to “early action” (a non-binding early application). My teachers’ recommendation letters are on file, my list is complete, and the stress is building. Alicia Montello Going through the college process is a lot more complicated than everyone tells you. With taking and retaking SAT’s, gathering up grades and information and letters of recommendation, filling out applications and visiting colleges, the whole process just continues to pile on stress. Having college inch closer and closer only motivates me to do as well as I can my senior year. I know what my goals are for my future and that is a great motivator in itself. Even though it seems at times that this process is not worth all of the trouble and hard work but I know that it will pay off in the long run, when I have a set and substantial education behind me and I can get hired in the area of my dream job. I plan to a be part-time student at the local community college so that I can live at home and work part-time. Through all of the stress of filling out of applications for jobs and college alike, I hope that all of the hard work now will pay off when the first semester starts in September and I can finally call myself a college student. Tori Russo As college bears closer each day, my nerves are getting more and more on edge. It’s only the beginning of my junior year, yet I’m already stressed as anything about what college I will attend or where I will get the money from to pay for school. I recently took the PSATS, just as I did last year. But this year I definitely took it more seriously. In March, I am going to take the SATs for the first time, and probably two or three more times after that. Mostly though, right now, I am focusing on making my grade point average and class rank go up a few notches. I still do not have a good grasp on exactly where I want to go to school. I am hoping to take a college road trip winter break, that way I get a better idea of where I actually want to apply, and what my expectations should be. As of now, I would like to attend a school out of state, because I feel like I need new surroundings, after living in New Jersey my entire life. Seeing as I do not even have an idea of what my major will be yet, I find that I should not have my heart set on a college, just to find out that they do not provide the major of my choice. I am very picky about where I want to be, and so far most colleges have been either “too close” or “too expensive.” My sister, my uncle, and my father are all urging me to attend Farleigh Dickenson, because they all went there. But I do not want to go somewhere that I am not crazy about, even if it is somewhat of a “family tradition.” College Board has been a very useful tool to me so far. At least once a week I take their SAT question of the day (which is e-mailed directly to me). It really helps prepare me for what the SATs will actually be like in March. I also use College Board to scope out colleges across the country, and slim down my choices.