Senior year can be bitter-sweet for graduates as the class spends their last few months together. However, heading into the spring semester means more than just the last few months of high school for seniors – it also marks college admissions decisions.
Many in the class of 2025 have begun committing to different schools for the next chapter of their academic journey. While many students will attend universities throughout the United States, in-state schools are the most popular choice this year.
For senior Emma Walsh, connections and family tradition were two of her main priorities when selecting Kansas State University.
“I enjoy that I have a group that I’m going into school with, so that I am leaving a lot about my life and people behind but not everything,” Walsh said. “For my relatives, K-State has been a great place and past relatives have gone there. I kind of wanted to stick to the same routine.”
While she chose a school an hour drive from home, senior Mia Hendrix will reside across the country along the east coast at the University of Maine. By opening her horizons to distant universities, Hendrix could experience a culture apart from the midwest.
“I knew that the majority was going to go to KU or somewhere local, and I just really wanted to branch out,” Hendrix said.
Since Hendrix is the only enrolled student at the University of Maine in her class, she had to choose her future roommate via social media direct messaging. By navigating an Instagram page dedicated to connecting students, she was able to find a roommate from the midwest who is coming from Columbia, MO.
“It’s harder to meet people because a lot of people are coming from the East Coast; but then I came across a class of 2029 Insta page,” Hendrix said. “We talked about how we both didn’t want to go to local schools, and we really just bonded over both being from the area but wanting to branch out.”
Distance may play a considerable role in college decisions. A variety of factors are considered in determining a student’s best fit, that can range from acceptance based on academic criteria, financial aid, study interests, school size, to other factors.
Similarly, senior Henry Holm awaits a final admission decision from the University of San Diego before he makes his call on where he will attend. Holm applied to a variety of schools including the University of Missouri, Loyola University in Chicago, Marquette in Milwaukee and the University of Washington. San Diego’s decision will allow him to choose which school makes the most sense for him based on his priorities.
“I didn’t apply to anywhere very competitive, because I’d rather get more money (from scholarships and financial aid package), and go somewhere that’s still a good school,” Holm said. “As all of the decisions are coming back, I’m just seeing who gives me the best offer and the kind of programs that they have and how they measure up to each other.”
By being involved in a range of extracurricular activities, Holm was able to boost his high school resume with leadership in robotics, policy debate team, forensics, scholars bowl and the National Honor Society. His activities have resulted in scholarships awarded by every school he has applied to so far.
Holm hopes the college he selects will foster academic success to better prepare him for his future career.
“I’m hoping to find new people, make new connections and build a network for myself,” Holm said. “I want to discover what I really like about the profession that I’m going into, and just kind of expand my experience in that area.”
