College Admissions Season

katie wong | oct. 28 2023 | Features

“May the odds be ever in your favor.” — Effie Trinket.

In the fall, high school seniors break open their college applications, and hope to gain admission to their dream college. At Stanton College Preparatory School, where talks of top universities and future ambitions echo through the hallways, the seniors are no different.

For most students, the introduction to the college application process starts their freshman year, when navigating the steps of applying to college can create countless memories. Seniors attest to these mixed emotions and numerous experiences.

“I think the worst part is that not every college is going to have you apply through the same means,” said senior Alexus Mills. “It’s hard figuring out what each college is looking for and what they require.”

Despite this, the application process can be rewarding. The components of one’s college application comes from a combination of academics and extracurriculars, which are pivotal to an applicant’s resume. In the years leading up to the fall of senior year, students participate in various activities prior to submitting their application.

“Multicultural Club is probably the best thing I have [for my college application] because I’ve made a huge commitment towards it,” said senior Matthew Climaco. “ I’m in a couple of honor societies. I worked two jobs [throughout Stanton], [and] I play the piano. Extracurricular wise, there [are] a lot of things I did in the past two years.”

Climaco’s path is not uncommon, as numerous seniors participate in a variety of activities they not only enjoy, but ones they feel will help showcase their capabilities, while also communicating their potential career paths. 

“I [played] tennis in my freshman, sophomore, and junior years. I am the public relations officer for Ignite, and I do a lot of medical [activities] outside of school,” said senior Spoorthi Perikala.“I shadow [physicians], I do internships, and I volunteer at [University of Florida] Health.”

Seniors like Perikala have dedicated much of their time to school and other activities, attempting to secure a spot in their ideal school and gaining exposure to future interests. 

“I’m applying to Johns Hopkins University because it has a really good medical program,” said Perikala. “That’s my dream school, but I’m also applying to a couple of ivy leagues and UF.”

Colleges like these may be on many Stanton students’ radars. However, due to the low admissions rate at these schools, they may consider other options.

“I’m looking at a couple out-of-state schools, but mainly I am thinking about the in-state schools,” said Climaco. “Obviously, I have my safety school here [at the University of North Florida], but I’m looking at [the University of Central Florida] and UF as potential target schools.”

According to Crimson Education, there are generally four categories colleges can fall into: safety schools, target schools, reach schools, and dream schools. Safety schools are those with a 75% admission rate, target schools are those with between 25-75% admission rates, and reach schools are those with less than 25% admission rate. Those with the lowest admissions rates are the dream schools, which are typically those many students consider prestigious, like Harvard or Yale University.  It is advised that students should apply to, at minimum, 2 safeties, 4 targets, 3 reaches, and 1 dream college.

“These categories are for [students] to understand how competitive [they] are [for admissions],” said Stanton guidance counselor Mr. Kyle Fessenden. “The reason why you’re applying to each [kind] of school is [for] a very specific purpose.”

Each school is unique in their own way, and it all depends on what a potential college student is looking for. Whether it is academics, campus life, affordability, financial aid, or athletics, there is something out there for everyone. 

“[I’m looking] for a college that’s in the city, metropolitan, has a nice campus, but also has a good computer science program,” said Mills. “So I'm looking for a college that will give me resources related to tech like Georgia Tech.”

Not only do students search for their ideal school, but colleges look for their ideal students. The college’s decision is a collection of all of a student’s efforts inside and outside the classroom, which will give the admissions officers the information they need to make a determination. According to guidance counselors Mr. Fessenden and Ms. Rocio Guzman, the basic timeline of what students should do each year in high school to prepare for college can be seen below.

“Colleges want to see effort,” said Mr. Fessenden. “[Academically,] they would rather you take rigorous courses, not perfectly done, and show growth [rather] than to not have taken any at all. At Stanton, the curriculum is very rigorous, and that is wise, because we know colleges put a big value on that.”

Stanton students can generally agree on the demanding workload, which starts as early as freshman year. Nevertheless, this workload will have students ready for college and the rest of their lives.

“Regardless of what track you take, whether it’s AP or IB, it’s going to be a lot of work, especially with a bunch of extracurriculars,” said Climaco. “It’s hard to find that balance, but in some ways, I’m glad because it’s going to prepare [me] for college.”

College applications mean that there is a place for everyone to further their education. At Stanton, a heavy emphasis on academic rigor and college preparation readies students for lives after high school—lives that may include college, one of the major ways they can see themselves getting ahead.