The end of the school year is an exciting time for all students and staff as the weather starts to warm up and classes near the end of their curriculums. Seniors especially have a lot of exciting events to look forward to including prom, the senior honors ceremony, and graduation.
One important event in preparation for all that celebrating is College Decision Day. This occasion takes place on May 1st every year and marks the commitment deadline for most U.S. universities.
Michigan College Access Network characterizes Decision Day as “Michigan’s adoption of National College Signing Day” which they hope to be an opportunity to “celebrate the postsecondary decisions of ALL… graduating seniors.” WBHS has taken the hint with a fun Senior Celebration Day lunch in the iCenter on College Decision Day.
This past Thursday, the class of 2025 came together in an environment specifically dedicated to recognizing their futures. Seniors appareled in outfits advertising their post-high school plans connected over Jet’s pizza and Dr. Pepper, discussing their excitement for their soon-to-be-realized futures and entering into the dorm supplies raffle.
For the students already committed to college next year, which Mrs. Essig says is about 75% of WBHS seniors on an average year, there is a huge mix of selected schools. These range from relatively close schools like Oakland University and Wayne State University, to institutions that may be a bit of a drive such as Grand Valley State University and Michigan State University, to far-away colleges including Indiana University and Alabama State University. Students have lots of different reasons for choosing their specific colleges from price concerns to how well the school fits their career interest.
Senior Dinesh Senthilnathan who will be attending the University of Florida in the fall for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience said the deciding factor in his school selection came down to the fact that he already had a house “down there.”
Kimberly Luty had slightly different reasons for choosing Bowling Green State University to continue her education next year. She explained, “I liked the campus and overall environment.” She also appreciated their “pretty good” architecture program which bodes well for her future plans to work at an architectural firm.
Beyond simply picking out a school for next year, some students have also enrolled in programs within their universities for more particular career goals. Alex Wszolek, who will soon be a part of the Princeton 2029 graduating class, chose to also join the School of Engineering’s Operations Research and Financial Engineering program. He explained his reasoning quite simply, stating, “I like finance and math and making money,” which aligns quite well with his career goal of becoming an investment banker.
Fellow senior, Krish Singla was accepted to the University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts which he applied to because “it was the only one [of Michigan’s colleges] I felt comfortable I could get into.”
Though these students seem like they’ve got everything figured out, not all seniors feel like they have their plans for next year perfectly squared away just yet. Ella Moon and Brent Armstrong are two seniors who aren’t quite ready to commit to a school. Moon said that she’s still considering her options. Given that college truly does affect the rest of one’s life, many seniors take quite a bit of time exploring all of the possibilities. Armstrong, on the other hand, is strongly considering Michigan Technological University, but he’s conflicted. “I really don’t want to go to school with my brother but they [Michigan Tech] gave me too much money to refuse,” stated Armstrong. Currently he’s hoping another school will give him a sailing scholarship worthwhile.
While many students like Senthilnathan have expressed great excitement for college, others, like Luty, are also feeling some nerves right now. However they’re feeling about the upcoming changes, seniors have an arsenal of helpful resources at their disposal. Probably the most significant right now is Mrs. Essig, WBHS’s very own college and career counselor. She recommends taking advantage of similar free resources in college including counselors, academic tutors, academic advisors, and career services.
For those seniors who are feeling especially worried about this next big step, Mrs. Essig’s most important piece of advice is to “be patient.” She explained how many college freshmen become disheartened when they don’t find super close friends within the first few days or weeks of college, referencing the “W curve,” which is a graph of the fluctuation of adjusting college students’ mental states. Mrs. Essig encourages students that though they may not find their best friends right away, “it will happen.” That being said, one way to help the process along is by joining clubs. Mrs. Essig recommends joining at least two right away: “one that’s academic and one for sheer fun.”
College is a big deal for graduating seniors which has many trying to find a balance between the excitement of taking the next big step in life and the nerves that come with such a huge change. Regardless of the emotional cocktail this focus on the future creates, seniors still have a lot of exciting events to look forward to as they finish out their last few weeks of high school. The class of 2025 will soak in their final moments in the high school sun before they take this huge step into the rest of their lives.
