Deciding on a college can be extremely difficult. It’s an incredibly long process that involves countless factors and an enormous amount of stress. On May 1st, it was decision day, which means all seniors that are going to college next year had to decide which college they would be attending for after high school. Many seniors already committed themselves to a certain college before May 1st, but that is the deadline.

A typical college process begins in junior year. Whether it be meeting with a college counselor, touring colleges, or starting your main essay, most juniors at least start to think about their after high school plans. Senior Gage Howard says, “[During my junior year], I started touring colleges that I thought I might be interested in over vacations. I also started thinking about what I wanted to write my main common app essay on.” Howard chose California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, as his college for after high school, where he will be studying mechanical engineering.

Coming to a final decision is one of the most stressful decisions you’ll make in your high school career. It is important to narrow your final selection to a couple of colleges that you have already been accepted to that you really love. If you do this, you can’t possibly make a wrong decision because you will want to go to all of them. For example, Jack Higgins states, “In the end I was deciding between the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Denver. They are both great schools but Boulder just felt like the better of the two for me.”

There are many factors in choosing a college that is right for you. The size of the school, the location of the school, the academic majors offered at the school are only some of the many components that are included in the college selection process. It’s important to realize that a “perfect” college doesn’t exist for anyone and selecting a college is about finding a good balance between these factors. Leah Kratochvil says, “[Gonzaga] felt right when I visited and it has a good program for my major.”

Now that high school is finally coming to an end for seniors, they will leave the nest and move on to bigger things. Being prepared to leave for college is a scary thought for many, and it can be easier for some than others. Senior Caroline Freer says, “It’s a mixture of fright and excitement for me. I don’t really want to leave home but this is a step I need to take in my life.”  Caroline will be attending the University of Washington on the Seattle campus with a direct admission into their computer science program next Fall.

Issaquah seniors are finally going off to their college of their dreams. It’s been a long process that has taken years to complete. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that these students will flourish in school and become leaders in their field.