Joshua Cohen ’24
On the seniors’ final day, college counseling was busy populating the bulletin board outside their office with pennants announcing the schools each member of the senior class would be attending next year. This exciting moment marked the end of the class of 2024’s college admissions cycle and the beginning of the class of 2025’s college admissions process.
Going into the admissions cycle can be intimidating because students’ decisions, failures, and successes determine the school at which they will spend their next four years studying, socializing, and living. To help clarify the process and assist incoming seniors, I asked several seniors to give their advice about various parts of the admissions process.
Senior Vasilios Doulaveris recommended that when choosing schools, one should “first narrow it down by location and size.” Once this is complete, Doulaveris suggested that it is then time to consider “what you are looking for in that school.”
Senior Matthew Chensavasdijai suggested that one should think about their “ideal class size, campus size, and the resources [they] want for [their] major.”
Other seniors suggested a different process. Senior Sammy Somwaru instead believes that you should first think about what you want from a school and then “search for different colleges that meet those desires.” Somwaru ‘emphasized the factors he considered, such as “geographical location” and “class size.”
Senior Carmen Facciobene built on this idea and proposed that one should also consider deal breakers that might deter one from a school.
After choosing which schools to apply to, there is still a lengthy process of writing essays for those schools. On this topic, every Senior asked shared the same important piece of advice: the essays take more time than you might think.
As Chensavasdijai said, “I wish I knew more about the time it would take me to write my essays – some essays took me a week to write while others took only a day.”
To combat this, Facciobene advised, “Start early – earlier than you think you need to.” Doulaveris echoed this notion, stating that “It really helps to start early … so you have time to edit them and not rush at the last minute.”
The other major piece of advice several of the seniors recommended was to be authentic. Chensavasdijai explained that it is important to show your “personality in your application, whether that’s through the resume or the essays. The better colleges know you, the more likely they are to … express interest in you.”
Doulaveris explained that it is important “not to pretend to be someone you think the school would want. Answer everything truthfully and you will end up at the right college.” Chensavasdijai also elaborated on the importance of interviews, as they give the opportunity to further express your authentic self.
Another piece of advice that several of the Seniors commented on was described concisely by Facciobene: “chill out.” Many of the Seniors described the importance of being careful not to over-stress yourself. Somwaru pointed out that one must not “let rejection from one school bring you down, as rejection is just redirection.” If you apply to several colleges you are interested in, you will end up somewhere you are happy.
Finally, I would like to add one last piece of advice. Listen to St. Andrew’s college counselors – they really know what they are doing. Mr. Gerelus and Ms. Salone have years of experience, both in counseling highschool students as well as being college admissions officers themselves. They always have your best interests in mind and will be happy to answer your questions.
So, whether you are about to begin your applications or are still a few years away from the grind between Junior and Senior year, remember these pieces of advice and don’t over-stress yourself.