High school seniors all over the country have stressed over which colleges to apply to, and whether or not they would actually be accepted. Students generally worry about which schools are right for them, what their parents think, and what career path they wish to follow. The stresses of college applications did not pass by seniors at Wootton.

Career center coordinator Ms. Lynda Hitchcock helps many seniors find, apply, and ultimately, get accepted into colleges.

In the fall, Hitchcock says that her job mainly consists of guiding students in the right direction. “I read essays, meet with students, and make lists of schools,” Hitchcock said.
However, in the more recent months, Hitchcock has focused her time on helping students handle their highly anticipated acceptances and rejections.

“You can’t compare yourself [to other students]. This is not something where you could say ‘Well he got in, so I’ll get in.’ Kids apply to schools that they don’t think are reaches, and they are. Students get severely disappointed,” said Hitchcock. “If you get denied, it’s a letdown, but it’s normal to get disappointed.”

Senior Sarah Bolmer was admitted to Stanford University on early action. Applying to a school on early action, unlike early decision, is not binding. Although Bolmer received the news she wanted, her college application process was far from a walk in the park.

“I think the most stressful part was opening the email to see if I got in. I think the stress level also rose the longer I put off my applications. In the beginning, applying seemed so daunting which really freaked me out,” said Bolmer.

Senior Liza Moskowitz has not decided where she wants to attend school next fall; however she also had a hard time in her college application process.

“My advice for next year’s seniors would be to do your applications over the summer or as fast as you can. The application process was one of the hardest things, and made first semester so much worse,” Moskowitz said.

Seniors Skylar Olson and Amy Lipton agree with Moskowitz in that students should get a head start on the decision-making process.

“If I could do something different the second time around, I would definitely get started on my college search a lot earlier than I actually did,” Olson said.

“I would advise next year’s seniors to start applications at the end of summer. It makes the start of senior year ten times less stressful,” Lipton said.

Senior Kyle Cross applied and was admitted on early decision to Vanderbilt University. Early decision applications are even more binding than early action applications, meaning if you get accepted, you must attend that school in the fall. Cross did not apply to any other schools but was accepted into his dream school.

Unlike Bolmer, Cross’s college application process was not that difficult for him. “It was not that stressful. I had a good feeling that I would get in,” Cross said.

Senior Luke Tedesco also applied early decision, but had his eyes set on Brown University. He withdrew the rest of his applications after hearing from Brown. Regarding his stress level, Tedesco reports being less tense than most of his friends.

“Hearing back from Brown was of course exciting; it was the only thing I could talk about for a week, and probably the most stressful part for me,” Tedesco said.

“My one piece of advice to students working on the process now is not to apply to a school merely based on its statistics or its national ranking,” Cross said. “Visit different universities to get a feel for where you can truly see yourself living for the next four years of your life. Then make an honest decision as to what’s best for you.”

Senior Liz Askins says that visiting the colleges she was considering was a major help to her in the college decision-making process.

“I encourage any student to contact former Wootton graduates at schools and even if you don’t stay with them, it’s good to just have someone to go to if you have questions,” Askins said.

From a counselor’s point of view, Hitchcock admits to being “pleased” with the good news and acceptances received by many seniors.

“I have been very happy, thrilled beyond belief,” Hitchcock said of the acceptance letters seniors have recently received.

The college decision process is definitely not easy; it takes hard work and determination to reach any level of success. These students represent just a view out of many Wootton students who have been accepted into college.