College decision time.

For seniors, it is a time that is always looming but is never expected to arrive. “College was always there,” says Will Eddis. “But I never actually thought it would arrive. And now it’s here, and I have to pick where I’m going, and that’s really weird.”

For seniors, high school is all they know. It is such an integral and large part of their lives, and it’s hard to imagine ever experiencing anything different. As a class, the seniors are in the middle of selecting their paths following high school. For some, it means taking a gap year. For others, it means getting a job. And for many, it means selecting a college – their home for the next four years. And that process has proved to be different for everyone. 

The 2023 Springfield seniors grew up watching TV characters get into Ivy League schools. An iconic moment growing up was when Teddy Duncan from Good Luck Charlie got into Yale even though she was failing multiple classes. Strangely, this was the only form of the college admissions process kids were exposed to, which caused them to be in for quite a surprise when it was their turn. 

Students begin applying to colleges during the fall of their senior year, with the final applications closing in January. Decisions can come out as early as December or as late as April. Most students at STHS have collected all their admissions decisions by early April, so it’s time to pick the best choice.

When asked to describe college decisions, many seniors chose “stressful” – and that’s true. Many factors go into deciding where to attend school – programs, location, cost, and more. For most students, it is not an easy decision. Some kids don’t have a first-choice school, making it much harder to be certain of the “right choice.” Senior Franny Holcomb comments on how “the college admission process has made [her] feel excited to have the opportunity to choose where to go to school,” although it was anything but easy. She comments on how social class plays a large role in where a student is “expected” to go to school, which can also influence a student’s decision.

Many seniors go into the college admissions process with a goal – a school they can see themselves committing to. However, more times than not, that isn’t the case. “I was rejected from my top school, and I was dejected for weeks,” senior Eli Turner recounts. Despite what we were exposed to growing up, getting into college is really hard, and it usually doesn’t play out as students expect. However, students need to trust the process and believe it will all work out – because it will. As Eli points out, “While rejection is not the best thing ever, it’s redirection. Looking back, I could no longer see myself anywhere else other than the school I committed to.” 

College decision time is messy, stressful, and surprising – in good and bad ways. However, it is also a time that should be used to celebrate the work seniors accomplished in high school and their opportunities for the future. So while getting into college is not as seamless and simple as it is on the big screen, it is still full of exciting next steps as students prepare for life beyond Springfield’s walls. No matter where we all are headed, we are well-equipped and deserving of the paths we’ve chosen for our futures. More than anything else, we are leaving Springfield proud of the people we have become and excited for what awaits us. 

Congratulations, Class of 2023, and thank you to Eli Turner, Nick Solomon, Gabby Greene, and Leo Dean for posing for pictures!