As the 2024 school year approaches its end, many seniors find themselves face-to-face with one of the biggest decisions of their lives: where to commit to college. The process of committing is different for everyone, with duties such as finding a roommate, decorating a dorm room, and crunching the numbers for financial aid, but the one common factor is the feelings of anticipation and excitement of making such a monumental decision.
“Seeing that many seniors are starting to commit to colleges, it is making me feel stressed as I still have to hear back from more colleges in April and making a decision at the last minute would be so stressful,” Haley Rupe said.
Another pressing matter on the minds of those yet to commit is the impact it may have on their social lives in college.
“This process for me personally has been stressful because the more I see people and my friends committing to their colleges early on, I feel that I am behind in some ways. I am also a bit scared about a roommate because if I commit late, most people will already have roommates by then and I would like to get to know the person that I will be rooming with for my first year. But other than that, I am excited to see what is to come as I hope I will love the college I choose,” Sammy Paley said.
Even after a student has committed, there remains a multitude of decisions to be made that prolong the stress of the season.
“One thing that I have been processing since being committed is thinking about my dorm room and my roommate. I can’t wait to start meeting new people as I have already started talking to people that are going to my college as well,” senior Tara Sponholz said.
The process of preparing to live away from familiarity creates no shortage of doubts, fears and unforeseen obstacles.
“Something I have been thinking about is how often I will be going home as well as people stealing my food because you never know what to expect,” senior Madison Munns said.
No matter what paths seniors choose, the fact remains that once commitments are over, caps are thrown, and seniors embark on their college journeys, they will enter what many have described as one of the most fun and liberating periods of their lives.