Components of high school seniors’ college decisions

Northview seniors discuss factors that went into their college decisions

Design by Elizabeth Leffew

Katelyn Wu, News Editor

Getting into college is a major goal that many high schoolers aim to achieve. Especially at Northview, students are very concerned about how they can best present their skills and passions to college admissions. However, after they receive their decisions, those students must undergo a second task: deciding which college to commit to. This decision will determine the students' lives for the next four years and possibly more, so it is extremely important for them to consider a variety of factors.

One of the biggest factors is what colleges provide for each major. Estelle Beneat is a senior who committed to Georgia Tech for biology. To decide which colleges to send her application to, Beneat checked rankings for her major as well as using various college resources to learn what programs they offered and details about the professors. However, when she received her decisions, Beneat had to take a lot of time before she made a commitment.

“I actually debated back and forth between UGA and Georgia Tech for at least three or four months. They each had their flaws and their [benefits]; each program had unique features,” Beneat said. 

Regardless of the time it took her to decide, Beneat finally knew that she belonged at GT when she was researching the courses that she would take to complete her major. Though her major is biology, Beneat’s long term goal is to go into the technology sector of biology as a career.

“I found that the courses at [GT] were exactly what I was looking for,” Beneat said. “The descriptions were [exactly] what I wanted to study in college and eventually turn into a career.”

On the other hand, for other students, specific university programs heavily impact the decision process. Gabriel Alemayehu is a senior who committed to the University of Georgia for finance. UGA admitted Alemayehu for the Foundation Fellowship, which is a major scholarship that covers tuition as well as provides other resources. 

“I wasn’t really that familiar with the Foundation Fellowship and all it had to offer until I went to the interview weekend and they really sold it to me,” Alemayehu said. “They really emphasized that idea of being a big fish in a small pond.”

One other option Alemayehu considered was Brown University. He acknowledges the many opportunities that an Ivy League institution can provide, but ultimately chose the Foundation Fellowship after hearing from current students. 

“A lot of them took the Foundation Fellowship over those big schools because they really do help you get those connections, those jobs that you’re looking for, and they prioritize you,” Alemayhu said. 

However, some students are taking an untraditional college path. Tanu Maskar is a senior who committed to the United States Naval Academy for oceanography. The Naval Academy is unique because once students finish their time as a Midshipman and graduate, they become an officer in the Navy. Since Maskar is aiming to pursue this career in the future, she considered the Naval Academy as a perfect option. 

“I knew I wanted to do something in the Navy, so I looked at colleges that had an ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) program,” Maskar said. “[The United States Naval Academy] was my number one choice because right after I finished college it would just lead into the Navy.”

Some other factors that confirmed Maskar’s decision included her grandfather’s influence and Summer Seminar, a program that allows prospective students to experience a week of training at the Academy. 

“[Summer Seminar] made me enjoy it so much that I wanted to look into it more,” Maskar said. “We’d go to these small workshops just to understand [the majors]. I remember going to math, oceanography, and physics. Those were really fun.”

Overall, these students all had different experiences during the college application process but ultimately found the college that best fits them. There are many factors to consider, but the importance varies for each person. 

“I would encourage everybody looking at the college application process to just familiarize yourself with the different opportunities available,” Alemayehu said.