Wow! Just like that the 2023-2024 school year has come to an end. What a year it has been with so many events, lessons, and hard work. While most of us will be coming back to Saugus after summer, all of our seniors this year have finally completed their time here and will be moving on to different opportunities. Figuring out what to do after high school is a challenge and a huge transition in life. Some choose to start working and pursue opportunities immediately, go to community college (and sometimes transfer to another college), or go to a college they applied for. Applying for colleges and making the right application choices is a super difficult process to navigate. There is so much pressure as many students’ dream colleges have low acceptance rates. This article will discuss what colleges students are going to and some advice for applying.
What colleges are students going to?
A good majority of senior students have chosen to go to our nearby community college, College of the Canyons. Here they can continue their education, study something they are interested in/want to pursue, and even transfer to another college! However, a good handful of students applied for colleges and have been accepted to enroll. So after summer, they will attend college around California and some will even be moving out of state. The Cal States Saugus Students have been accepted to include Northridge, Fullerton, Long Beach, Monterey Bay, San Diego, Poly San Luis, and more. The Cal States have various acceptance rates, some around 80-90% while others around 40-60. The University of California Saugus Students have been accepted to include UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, UC Merced, and more. The acceptance rate average is around 30%, but it drastically varies depending on the school. The list is endless when it comes to what states Saugus Students will even be attending college at. To name a few: Hawaii, Wisconsin, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, New Jersey, Boston and many more. This transition is going to be especially difficult as it’ll require adjusting to the different time zones, weather, environments, and being so far away from home and loved ones. But no matter what being away from home, whether it be a few hour car ride or a few hour plane ride, the experience will truly help with independence and growing as a young adult.
Interviews with Saugus Seniors:
I reached out and asked some questions to a few seniors who are starting college in the fall. They were all able to give some really amazing advice and insight. There are some great strategies to help with applications to college.
- What was the application process like? How many colleges did you apply to?
“All the applications I did were really easy because I applied to 2 Cal States which don’t require much. I also applied to UH Mānoa where I’m going to school which was an equally easy application (just GPA questions and basic information)” – Julius Canas (University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa)
“The application process was definitely a long one! I remember it being quite difficult trying to navigate through it all, especially as someone who had almost no idea what I was doing, but I definitely was able to find some help from the people around me. It was a scary process as well, as the whole idea of it was that everything had to be basically perfect and determined how I’d be seen by the colleges I was applying to. I had to look good and stand out! But overall I think the hardest part I’d say was the countless amount of essays I had to write! I knew this and had to start on the application process pretty early. I applied to 8 schools I believe!” – Jiwon Kim (Boston University)
“The application process was pretty stressful. I only applied to nine colleges, but even that took a few months of pretty intensive effort.” – Bradley Nilson (Princeton)
“The application process was pretty tame depending on where you apply. You need to have different things. Most want an essay, recommendation letter, and most want to see your scores and tests such as the SAT. Otherwise once you complete their specific questions the applications are fairly easy. But I applied to probably 10 colleges, mostly in state universities.” – Gia Gonzales (Arizona State University)
- What other colleges did you get accepted to, waitlisted, or rejected?
“I only got accepted by 2/8 schools actually! I wasn’t too surprised cus my list of colleges that I applied to were some of the most competitive schools in the nation and had in mind the fact that I would most likely attend community college and transfer to save money and have better chances at getting into the schools I wanted.” – Jiwon Kim (Boston University)
“Accepted: Princeton, UCLA, UCSD, UCB, UCSB, BYU, Rejected: Harvard, Yale, Stanford”- Bradley Nilson (Princeton)
- What advice would you give to others on campus regarding the whole process, beneficial things on the app or things to help stand out?
“START EARLY. If you start a week before the deadline like me, the effort it takes to actually log in and do your apps makes it seem like you’ll never get them done. Time flies so fast so starting early and getting one done every 2-3 weeks will leave you less stressed.”- Julius Canas (University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa)
“As for advice, I have a lot of it! Firstly, the process is a long and mostly tedious one, but I believe that it can be easy once you get the hang of it and also asking for help is totally okay and can help out a lot! I had a lot of people like a year older than me look over my essays and help me through some of the other questions in the applications and it was very helpful. Another piece of advice I would give is to start pretty early or plan ahead!! It’s definitely very stressful to deal with when under the pressure of time and something you do not want to do at the last minute! Starting the beginning of the summer before senior year is probably where most people should start! I would also just start with looking over prompts for some of the personal statement/personal insight questions (essays) and begin brainstorming what I want to write about. I emphasize the essay process because this is where you get to show the colleges who you are outside of.” – Jiwon Kim (Boston University)
“Start early please!! The process takes longer than you’d think, and you want as many chances as possible to look over your work. If you’re planning on applying to many colleges, keep a google sheet of essay themes that are common between the supplemental essays. Include working on essays as part of your daily homework, and if you have an open period, you can treat that as your college or scholarship essay period. Another thing: don’t just do activities only for college apps. If you’re looking for the most success in college apps, engage in activities where you can best positively impact your community AND they look good on college apps. The saying “Depth over breadth” is true; if you can, focus on being truly outstanding in 1-2 areas rather than mediocre in many. Finally, don’t stress about the results. There’s an incredible number of qualified students who apply for many colleges, and admissions committees do not have the resources to truly fairly evaluate any student. Results of a college cycle do not determine a person’s personal worth, nor predict their success in the future. Bonus tip: the activities section might matter more than many people would think.”- Bradley Nilson (Princeton)
“Some advice I would give to people is to apply early and make sure that you are doing your applications and getting your letters as soon as possible because the earlier you apply the more likely you are to get in. I would also say to apply to different types of school, some in state, some UC, and some out of state because you always want to have options and back ups.”- Gia Gonzales (Arizona State University)
- What is your plan after college?
“I plan on going into nursing, more specifically getting my DNAP (Doctorate in Nursing Anesthesia Practice)”- Julius Canas (University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa)
“My plan after college is probably to either complete a dental hygiene program to become a dental hygienist, or complete a sonography program to become a sonographer! I am stuck between the two professions and hope to decide on what I want to do during my time in college!”- Jiwon Kim (Boston University)
“After completing my bachelors, I plan to start medical school. I’m unsure of what subspecialty I’d like to move with, so we’ll see from there!”- Bradley Nilson (Princeton)
- How are you feeling about graduating and going to a new school?
“I am so excited. Graduating is a bittersweet experience but this happens to everyone and college will be just like high school when it comes to being social. Meeting new people has always been something I love. Being in Hawaii helps too of course but getting to experience a new way of life is going to be the best experience ever.” – Julius Canas (University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa)
“I am feeling quite nervous and scared mostly, but also excited! It’s scary to leave, especially so far for me, everything and everyone that I have ever known to live someplace new for 4 years! I’m sad to leave behind my friends and it’s so strange that there’s a big chance that the people I have grown up with I will never see again. I feel that graduating and leaving is basically my step into becoming completely independent and that scares me a little! Although I’m sad and scared, it’s cool that I get this opportunity to go across the country to continue my education! I hope to make new friends and experience new things.”- Jiwon Kim (Boston University)
“It is a very bittersweet feeling knowing that I’m graduating so soon! I’m very excited to start a new journey in Hawaii and work towards my future! I am sad that I will not be going to school with my best friends anymore though. I’ve created amazing memories at Saugus that I will keep with me forever!” – Kennedy Thompson (Softball Athlete at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa)
“I’m excited about my future. It’s a little bittersweet. I’m nervous to leave my family and friends and have to rebuild social relations away from hope. But at the same time, I know that because my future peers will be in the same circumstance as me, and that shared nervousness will be turned to excitement for what may be to come.”- Bradley Nilson (Princeton)
“I am super excited to be graduating. It has been a long 4 years in high school. I am nervous but excited to go to a new school. It is going to be such a large step and I am extremely happy to see where it will take me in the future. Although I am nervous to be on my own and to live this new chapter of my life alone. I am extremely thankful for my 4 years in high school and I think that they have prepared me for what is to come in my future.” – Gia Gonzales (Arizona State University)
Completing high school and moving on to a completely different school and environment is such an achievement. Saugus Journalism wishes the best to all of our graduating seniors, we can’t wait to watch you grow and accomplish amazing things!
