As the school year is slowly coming to an end, preparations for the seniors’ departure has just started. For seniors, the end of the year marks the beginning of a new chapter titled, “College”.
Senior College Decision Day, is an official date on May 1 where seniors must confirm which college they’re committing to. For some seniors, committing to a college by that date is a challenge.
“Of course it’s difficult for some students,” said counselor Matt Liberatore. “Mainly for various financial concerns, not knowing whether they can afford a certain school or not. Some are still wait listed at schools and they still have yet to know.”
Initially, Summer Santoyo was one of the several seniors who had a few financial concerns.
“It wasn’t hard making the decision,” said Santoyo. “ It was hard at first finding the money to pay for the fees, but everything worked out later.”
With government aid, Santoyo will be attending McHenry County College for two years, and will then move on to study at Judson University in Elgin, Ill. She plans on becoming a veterinarian technician.
“I chose those two schools because they’re cheaper and because they’re close to home. If I’m ever on a holiday, I don’t have to worry about being too far away from home.”
Unfortunately, some seniors don’t have it as easy as Santoyo. According to Liberatore, many students end being wait listed, so they don’t have a definitive answer by that set date.
“I have students who have been wait listed by their dream schools come to my office,” said Liberatore. “I help them make a pro and con list of the other schools they’re thinking about. But if their dream school accepts after the date, they still have a chance to commit to that school.”
Because there are rolling admissions, students still have the opportunity to commit after the set date, especially if they are currently dealing with financial issues. But despite this, it is still recommended to be done as soon as possible. Some colleges may have all their spots filled within a day or two.
“Senior College Decision Day is an agreed upon date by the counselors of the national College Board. If someone decides to wait a couple of weeks after the day to send the enrollment deposit to their school, they may end up losing their spot,” said Liberatore.