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| Made it: Juan Martinez attends a religion class at Boston College, his first choice. Nicole Hill   The first year |
College bound: When schools reply, the real decision looms
Applicants face a new deadline and a sharper choice: Where do they really want to go?
from the November 1, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
Alex is wait-listed at Skidmore, so chooses the University of Vermont instead, which has a good vet school and riding stable. Juan's heading to BC in the fall – no contest. In August, David will register for classes at Bunker Hill Community College.
Biggest factors: finances, 'fitting in'
What mattered most, in the end? These students were remarkably savvy about family finances and college costs. Juan applied only to Jesuit schools, because he could go tuition-free as the son of an employee of a Jesuit school. Haverford's financial package was a big determining factor in Vadilson's decision to go there rather than BC. David Stasio, who has worked to help support his family since he was a sophomore, "didn't want to be ridden with loans. I don't want to be paying off debt for 30 years." Five of the six talked about money as a major factor. For some, it was the decisive one.
Just as important, maybe more so, was the deeply personal "fitting-in factor." All six needed to feel at home, to feel as if they could belong. "I could imagine myself walking around there, going to classes there," says Emma about Smith.
Not surprisingly, the students who were focused – who knew what they wanted – had more success with their top choices than the kids who hadn't yet found their path. Students who could be articulate, both on paper and in conversation with adults, also had an edge. But skillful communication wasn't everything: Experienced admissions staff consider the student's complete case to create a fuller picture. It makes sense, for instance, that Emma was looking to study history. She'd spent time as a Civil War reenactor, was involved in a local historical society, took two AP history courses, and received a perfect 800 on her SAT II history test. The better the students were at conveying who they were during the application process, the more likely they'd be accepted at the college that best suited them.
Surprises and disappointments came with the territory, but most important, all six students were ultimately pleased with their final choice. Come graduation, they finally knew what the future held, at least as far as they could see it.
Looking back from chosen college
The end of the story goes like this: David will start at Bunker Hill Community College in January. "I decided to take a semester off to get myself and other things in line. I think it's for the better." Vadilson is acclimating to life at Haverford. The classes are manageable, but he expected more social excitement, he says. Alex was homesick at first, but has made good friends and loves her room. The academics, she says, "have not been that difficult compared with the classes I took in high school, except for my psych class – that's pretty tough." Ruben's happy for the work he did at application time and says, "This was really a big thing in my life last year because it got me where I'm at today. Regis College! Which I happen to like very much."
Juan's surprised at how at-home he feels now, after only a month of living at BC. He loves being able to choose his own classes. Emma feels that being at Smith is worth every bit of work she put into the application process. When her family left after dropping her off, "I cried a little," she says, "but then I went back to my room and started unpacking and talking to my roommate, and by the end of the day I felt settled in. The first few days, though, I'd be walking across campus and suddenly think, 'Wow, I'm at college, this is so exciting.' "
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