As the May 1 deadline has come and gone, seniors in high school across the country have decided whether or not to take the next step in their education. Post high school life is the first step into adulthood, and a majority of teenagers are beginning this new phase of life in college. According to the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, college enrollment rates for high school graduates in 2018 were 69.8 percent for men and 71.3 percent for women. For those who are getting ready to make the shift from high school to a university, there has been a lot of hard work put in to get them where they are. Students have spent the last four years working hard and striving for sufficient grades in high school, studying for and taking the SAT or ACT, racking up out of school extracurriculars through work and volunteering, and writing numerous essays for college applications. Having done all of that, there is also a lot that lies ahead. College life brings a multitude of challenges, such as participating in classes with hundreds of students and dealing with the rigor of college courses. According to US News, 24.1 percent of classes at the University of Washington have over 50 students. Adjusting to life away from the family is also tough, and for those that are pursuing their education out of state, these feelings of homesickness are accentuated. College Board says, “The percentage of first-time public four-year college students who were residents of the states in which they were enrolled declined from 83 percent in fall 2006 to 78 percent in fall 2016,” which indicates there is an increasing rate of students who are pursuing an out of state education.

College life brings about tremendous change, and this can be quite overwhelming to seniors in high school. A few Issaquah High students spoke on this topic, reflecting on their experience with the application process and future plans at college. These eight IHS seniors are all planning to attend tremendous four-year programs at schools big and small, near and far. The students clearly all feel that a college education is necessary for them, but is it a necessity for all people? “Yes it is, but you don’t need to go to the best college there is,” voiced Akhil Joshi, who is attending Arizona State University. “As long as you have a degree from an accredited university you should have a higher chance of getting a job than someone who did not get a college education.” Kellan Otley said that “if someone knows what they want to do in life and it doesn’t involve college then it’s not necessary. For me it’s necessary for what I want to do in my future.” Of course, attending college is an option for all students, but many feel that they have no option, as today’s society puts quite a bit of pressure on the students of this generation to further their education. Daniela Moretsky, who is attending Boise State University, believes this pressure is rooted in the notion that “having a degree will get you a good job. People believe that if you don’t go to college you will not be as educated or prepared for the real world.” Mackenzie Rippel, who is attending the University of Washington, echoed this opinion, stating, “I feel like everything’s becoming so expensive lifewise, and in order to get a higher-paying job you need a college education. Robots are going to start taking over the easy jobs.”

Although all of these students have the commonality of attending great schools, they all have taken different paths to get to the place they will call home for the next four years. Kellan Otley, who will also be attending the University of Washington, said, “My Dad has been a big influence. He went there and he’s been taking me to football and basketball games ever since I was a kid; it’s always been a dream of mine to attend UW.” Along with legacy, students were drawn to their institutions for other reasons that made that college “the right fit.” Many students cited that their college had the best program available for their intended major and that he or she enjoyed the overall environment of the campus. “If you visit a college, you’ll know if its the right one for you… you’ll connect with it,” said Ally Salvador, who is going to the University of Utah.

Exciting yet intimidating, college brings about a lot of things to look forward to despite the obstacles that come with it. Jonathan Lo, who will be attending Gonzaga University this fall, cited living alone and away from family as what he is most looking forward to, given the obstacles it brings: “I’m looking forward to living on my own because it’s a new experience that allows us to grow independent and make decisions for ourselves. It’s also an obstacle because you don’t have your parents to go to for help.” Along with looking forward to college life, the students reflected back on their high school life and how it shaped their college application process and decision. For every student, there are things he or she does that benefits and hinders his or her application. Daniela Moretsky, who is planning to major in kinesiology, says, “I have shaped my high school schedule around my future college major by taking sports med, biomed, etc. which showed the schools I applied to that I was getting ahead and how I was committed in advancing my knowledge on my major early on.” Ally Salvador, a film production major, voiced the same opinion. “I started taking classes I was more interested in versus taking classes that looked good on an application. I wanted to take harder classes but I chose to take classes I actually enjoyed, and I think colleges like to see that.” As for the regrets, Makayla Lang, who is going to the University of Arizona, felt that “even though [she] got fine grades, studying a bit more for classes that [she] didn’t do too well in would’ve helped. For example, getting a B- in piano took a hit on [her] GPA.” Brian Yoon, who will be attending the University of Virginia, said, “I wish I had more extracurriculars because I did not have that many outside of basketball; I wish I did more.”

For every person there will be things they will be proud of as well as regrets when it comes to the college application process. For those getting ready to apply to colleges in the future, it is vital to decorate your application as much as possible with a high GPA, standardized testing, and extracurricular activities in order to maximize chances to get into colleges of interest. For those graduating high school this year, the next four years are about to bring about independence, maturity, and many, many memories.