LOGAN MEW
STAFF WRITER
For seniors, this is the time of year for thinking about college. It’s the time of year to fill out the FAFSA, write and revise personal essays, and submit applications to the colleges or universities that they wish to attend. Students begin to make their plans about what they want to do after high school graduation.
Senior Axel Pagan started his college search in the middle of his junior year of high school by browsing through colleges online and attending college visits at the college and career center. At the beginning of October he completed the student portion of his Free Application For Student Aid, or FAFSA for short, and is waiting for his dad to get back from his job trip in the Army and complete his portion. Pagan hopes to finish and submit his applications to the schools he wishes to apply to by mid-November. Some schools on his list are Northern Arizona University, Creighton University, and the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico. Because of his status as a military child, Pagan plans to use his father’s GI Bill to help assist in financing his college education.
“Personal essays were one of the biggest struggles when I was working on my college applications. It’s a struggle to write an essay that will leave a good impression on the colleges about you as a person. You want to be sure that your essay is well written so that it makes your application stand out from the other hundred of thousands of students applying to that same school” said Pagan. “And advice to juniors, don’t procrastinate. Get your college application tasks done as soon as possible, and be sure to finish school strong.”
As of now, Pagan is currently undecided in a field of study and hopes to find his purpose in college.
Senior Christian Sepulveda has taken a slightly different approach on his college application process. Sepulveda started his college search online in June, checking which colleges aligned with his graphics design major. By August Sepulveda had built and finalized his college list and started applying to his top colleges in September. In October he filled out the FAFSA with his family and has even received a letter of acceptance from Northern Arizona University (NAU). Now, Sepulveda is planning on applying for scholarships to help cut down tuition costs, such as NAU’s Blue Scholarship, Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), his dad’s GI Bill, as well as many others.
Sepulveda credits his minimal struggle and relative ease when applying to colleges to his access to multiple online resources.
“All the schools I applied to were on the Common Application website, so all I had to do was make the application on that one site and I can send it all to the schools I want that are registered on that site,” Sepulveda said.
“Everything is digital and online now, which makes everything so much easier versus back in my parent’s day the when they had to send applications in by mail.”
Another tip to juniors suggested by Sepulveda was to start the college applications as soon as possible, so that you’re not in a rush later on. That way, he says, you can take your time to analyze which colleges can meet your educational, financial, and geographical wants and needs.
Sepulveda also agrees with Pagan’s advice towards finishing senior year strong.
“Juniors, do not slack on senior year. If you let your grades drop it could lessen your chances of being accepted. Colleges watch your grades towards the end of senior year too, not just the end of junior year” Sepulveda said.
The stories of these two seniors should serve as an example as to how the college search process is different for every student. Students come from different households and backgrounds and each have different interests, aspirations, and financial situations that affect the schools in which they consider during their college search. Seniors should take the time to thoroughly think through their approach towards finding the college that is right for them.