Students all around Ayala have been anxiously waiting for responses from colleges around the world since the day they sent in their applications. 

College life is the next step for most students, so of course, waiting for a dream school to make a final decision might be one of the scariest parts of high school. However, now that admissions are out, the class of 2022 can finally admit themselves to their chosen schools. 

“I’m going to Cal Poly Pomona for college. It’s close to home, and it has a really good program for my major [computer science],” senior Joseph Scott said. “I’m conflicted about finishing high school because I’m really tired of the work and I’m excited to move onto something new, but I also know that as soon as I leave I won’t see a lot of my friends again for a while.” 

That may be the hardest part of high school, leaving. While it’s something that many look forward to, it’s also the end of an era. Students have grown so accustomed to this part of life, and soon, adulthood comes into play and everything will change. Students finally get to study what they want to, choose the courses altered to their interests, but leaving those who have stuck with them for four years, perhaps more, can never be easy.

“I’m going to Embry-Riddle [Aeronautical University] in Arizona. They specialize in flying, and I’m going to be a pilot, so that’s why I chose it,” senior Isabella Moreno said. “My one piece of advice would be to let your parents help and start scholarship applications as early as you can.” 

College is exciting but expensive. Moreno is right about that: starting scholarship applications could be essential to attending a dream college. Procrastination is a common problem among applying seniors, but many can get the hang of it as long as they follow advice from the seniors that came before.

“I’m going to UCI [University of California, Irvine]. I was between that and another school, but UCI offered better financial aid, so I took it. They were both around the same price, so I just went with which ever gave me more money,” senior Eydan Braceros said. “I feel really good. I had a great time in high school, but honestly, I’m ready to get out of here.”

Financial aid and the firm grip it has on college decisions will always be a tough factor in choosing where to go. More often than not, students end up going to colleges that offer the cheaper price. Tens of thousands of dollars aren’t exactly easy to come up with, so it’s great to have multiple options when picking a school.

The past four years have been a long time, and the final weeks of high school are coming to a quick closing point. It’s just a matter of getting things done and moving forward, then preparing for the next step in life as the senior class of 2022 splits for the final time.

“I feel somewhat sad about leaving everyone, but I’m still very excited. I can’t wait for what comes next,” Moreno said.