Analyzing the College Process

After the senior class of 2013 decided what colleges they will be attending, they were able to reflect on the long and arduous process they underwent for over a year. Students at BSGE have a unique opportunity during the college admissions process because they can work closely with the college counselor, Peter Wilson, and attend his summer college workshop. However, attending BSGE also makes some of the admissions process more difficult. As the school year came to a close, 43 seniors were surveyed in order to gauge their feelings during the conclusion of the college process.

A majority of the seniors surveyed thought that learning ab    out colleges was the easiest part of the process, with getting teacher recommendations the second most popular choice. In comparison, more than half of the surveyed seniors thought that writing essays was the hardest. Even though this aspect of the college process gave them the most trouble, a majority of the seniors thought that their essays, both from the Common Application and the supplements, were the strongest part of their application. A possible reason is the significance Peter Wilson places on the essays students send to colleges. In his summer college workshop, which about 60% of the seniors attended, students work on writing all of the required essays and editing them.

Overall, most seniors were happy with the college they are attending currently. When asked to rate how happy they were on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the happiest, 22 seniors rated their happiness a 4 and 10 rated it a 5. Even though only 28% of seniors are attending their first-choice school, the majority are satisfied with their final choice. A multitude of factors played a part in the decisions of the 2013 graduating class. Financial aid was the most important factor for a majority of the class, with 19 students picking this choice. 12 students cited the second-most important factor for the seniors, the academics offered by the school. No students thought that parental pressure was the most important factor in deciding on a college.

Last year’s seniors thought that the college process was difficult, but many students stressed the importance of making sure IB requirements are out of the way and grades are maintained. There is much work to be done during the college process and no one understands that better than the seniors who suffered through it. However, one senior notes that it is important to enjoy yourself as well.