HOTLB: The Seniors Thoughts Behind The College Decision Process

As May 1, the deadline for college decisions, rolls around, Samo’s seniors are beginning to commit to colleges. But aspects of a school are looked at when these Senior’s decide their future for the next four years?  Whether it’s the school’s academics, weather or social life, there are a hefty amount of factors that should be considered when deciding where to commit. Well, let's shine a light on four Samo seniors that have committed to a university, and figure out what it is that they looked for when choosing the school best fit for them. 

Mio Okagaki (’23)

“I wanted diversity and a packed community for college just for easier and bigger opportunities to come towards me and so I researched art/fashion schools in New York. FIT is in the middle of Manhattan which was perfect and they receive support from the board of education of the city of New York, meaning they can share access to the world-class faculty and relevant curricula at an affordable cost so the tuition is lower than other art schools. The community/ location was very important to me because to grow as a fashion designer, I have to be in a place where sponsors are constantly around and be with people who have the same interests as me.When deciding where to apply, of course finances were one of the factors I looked at, as well as transfer rates of schools to understand the difficulty to stay at the school” 

Kylie Riggs (’23)

“For me, I knew exactly what type of school I wanted to attend. Specifically, I wanted to be “close” to home but far enough away to feel freedom, as well as having a relatively small class size to fully get to know my professors and get a great feel for the school. I was mainly choosing between two schools when it came down to it last month and could barely decide between the two. I made a thoughtful spreadsheet with each school's markings down to the types of dorms and decided Santa Clara would give me the best of both worlds; being close-ish to home yet feeling comfortable in the place I’ll be living in for the next four years. I mainly thought about location because I wanted to be on the west coast and I’ve known that since middle school. A couple other important factors for me was social life, undergraduate class size, dorm styles, and having a difficult challenge academically but still being able to succeed”

Griffin Soelberg (’23)

“UCSB has such a great science program. I love the beach environment and beautiful campus, and they have a really good abroad program. There are also a lot of opportunities to try new sports and hobbies through clubs. I was mostly looking for a place with good weather and a good college community and out of all the places I visited, UCSB felt like it had the best community and my favorite weather because it's sunny all the time”

Elijah Boktor (’23)

“Vanderbilt became my top choice after a visit last spring break, and I decided to apply Early Decision. Its lively but homey campus drew me in. I liked how the school was not too big or small, and the student population was a good size so that meeting people wouldn’t be an issue. I also wanted to attend college near a city, and Nashville was great. When beginning my college search, major catalogs played an influential role in my decisions. Vanderbilt had a major that fulfills my interests in medicine and utilizing medicine effectively within societies, so it immediately sparked an increased interest. When choosing schools to apply to I researched campus life, research and internship opportunities, study abroad programs, and tuition”