The beginning of the school year is full of new and exciting traditions for every grade. However, for the seniors at Abington Friends, it has been full of supplemental essays and college meetings.
For many colleges, November 1 marks the deadline for early applications. That means that there has been an urgent rush for the class of 2025 to make important choices and submit their CommonApp applications. Seniors all over the country are questioning where they want to go, what they want to study, and where they will be accepted.
While every school is different, whether it is by essay question, application requirements, or even admission style, the 328th graduating class has had their hands full trying to balance the college process with their senior year work.
However, some seniors already have a few acceptances under their belts. Esa McCants ‘25 has received responses from five schools with more on the way.
When discussing the feeling of being able to put a school logo up on the senior acceptance wall, McCants said, “That felt like the biggest relief – it’s the best thing I can ask for.”
This of course is only the beginning of a long journey. While the proverbial “hard part” is over with the applications, the next step may be just as grueling – the waiting.
The senior class have some big decisions in their futures, with the upcoming months revealing more and more about their options.
When asked how she hopes her future self will feel in the month of May, Nevaeh Brown ‘25 said, “I hope whatever college I go off to, I’m genuinely grateful that I got accepted there. I hope that I am not putting my worth into a school…I have to remember that college is what I make of it because it’s a big opportunity.”
The first hurdle of the college application process is almost complete for the class of 2025. However, the work is far from finished. The biggest hope for our seniors is that, come May, there is an overall excitement and confidence in the choices they made for the future.
There has been a strong camaraderie forming within the class of 328. Dealing with this process has both united people in stress and reminded them that their time together is coming to an end. The only thing to do now is continue to support each other through this complicated time and to celebrate their major accomplishments.
AJ • Dec 3, 2024 at 9:18 pm
The college process in my opinion is more anxiety inducing than applying for a job and hoping to hear back from them. As college is the start to the rest of my life the questions of, “Is everything sent in?”, “Is this correct?”, “Joanna I’m confused”, and especially..”Will I get in?” have been in my head since the November 1st deadline. There is a lot of competitive edge in my grade tho some of us choose not to or to acknowledge it, there is definitely an underlying competitive edge between friends or other academically ambitious students. For me what is the most challenging is the lack of privacy when getting accepted into schools. Yes we have the tradition of putting your accepted schools on the senior hallway wall but to see a classmate have their name next to a school you have been dying to hear from does cause nerves.
Mason Fullerton • Dec 2, 2024 at 2:09 pm
The college process, without a doubt, as a current senior, is not an easy one. I’m thankful to have gotten into a college even though it might not be my top choice; it is nice to know all the hard work has gotten me into a college. I feel the harder part is over since all my applications are in, including supplementals, but the waiting has been challenging, and I know during December, I might hear back from a decent amount of schools, which makes me nervous but somewhat excited to hear from some of the schools I have been anticipating on. The supplementals were tough, but I felt it was a good way for me to truly express to schools who I am on a more personal level rather than my transcripts.
John • Dec 2, 2024 at 1:55 pm
Personally, as a senior, writing my college essay was probably the hardest part about the college process. I had a hard time sticking to one idea or theme. I had a hard time at finding the words that would fit best for me, but what really helped me was knowing that I was not alone and that I had a really good support system. Now that I am done most of my college applications, I feel calm and ready for what lies ahead.
student • Dec 1, 2024 at 10:01 pm
As a senior at Abington Friends School, the experiences described in this article especially align with my own. There is so much uncertainty about where me and my friends will get accepted to and eventually commit to when the time comes. For me, the idea of “the waiting” being the hard part truly resonates with me. While almost all of my applications have been sent in and my supplemental essays completed, I still feel that there is so much more to be done in regards to my personal college process. I am also greatly anticipating the more fun and traditional aspects of the senior year experience at Abington Friends come May and am excited to see where my classmates land in their own experiences post graduation.
Harrison • Dec 1, 2024 at 9:21 pm
As a junior I feel ready for the college process, but I am also nervous of the results that will follow. I have high hopes for the schools I will get into, but unfortunately, the reality is I most likely will not get into the schools I want to go to most. Even though I am nervous for the results I am excited to see what schools I do get into and where my future leads me. I view the college process as a game and sometimes it ends up being luck. No one should ever fully rule themselves out of the race, and that is where my hope is found.
chloe • Nov 29, 2024 at 3:01 pm
As a current senior at AFS, I can say that this article definitely resonated with me 100% I believe that while the college process has been more than stressful, it has somewhat united us together because we all have an understanding of what each other is going through. I think for me; It has been really cathartic to be able to talk about the process with my classmates and share advice. That being said, I completely agree with the fact that this current stage, the waiting, is just as bad, if not worse. During this time, I’ve had to remind myself many times that what’s supposed to happen is going to happen, even if I don’t always believe it. I think that the best thing you can do in times like these is distract yourself and stay present because, before we know it, it will be over. Cherishing our time now and thinking about the future when the time comes is how I’ve been handling this process.