Countdown to college, graduation

Final exams, the prom and senioritis take up high school students’ time

By: Jessica Beym
   Editor’s note: The Class of ’06 is an occasional series looking at the issues of facing high school seniors in Cranbury as they prepare to graduate.
   Once the college applications were sent and the response letters started rolling in, Maureen Smith, a senior at Princeton High School, thought the hard part was over.
   But she was wrong.
   It was just days away from Monday’s deadline to accept admission to the University of Maryland, and she still had to do the paperwork, submit a housing application and send in a deposit to seal the deal. Meanwhile, exams are just around the corner, teachers are getting tired of the senioritis excuse, and plans for prom weekend still aren’t settled.
   As a part of the Class of ’06 series, The Cranbury Press on Sunday met with a group of four local high school seniors to talk about the students’ excitement and anxieties as they make their final decisions to attend college and finish the remaining weeks of high school.
   By the beginning of April, all of the students had heard back from the colleges they had applied to and knew whether they had been rejected, accepted, or put on a waiting list. What came next, Maureen said, was a few weekends of revisiting schools and spending the night at them to get a better idea of what the campus would really be like.
   While the University of Connecticut offers a reputable business program, which — along with nutrition — is one of the majors Maureen is considering, she said she had to decide where she felt more comfortable, and in the end, it was the University of Maryland.
   "It just seemed perfect," Maureen said after spending the night and returning on Saturday. "The people were so welcoming and because the school is so big, there’s more to choose from. It just seemed like the right thing for me."
   John Petrucelli, a senior at The Peddie School, said that after spending the weekend at the University of Virginia — his top choice— he felt right at home. While he was there he had a chance to walk around campus, eat in the cafeteria, sleep in the dorm and check out a debate club meeting.
   The size of the campus and the undergraduate class, the location of the school and the choice in academics were all important factors to consider when the students began looking at schools and sending out applications last year. But when it comes down to making the final choice, the students said it was really a gut decision.
   "For me, it just felt like I fit there," John said.
   Now, students must decide whether or not they will participate in sports, or other clubs on campus, pick which dorm is right for them, and pencil in a major so they can begin selecting courses. While most colleges require that a student declare a major by the second year, most of the students said they already know what they want to pursue.
   But Maureen, however, is the exception. She said she is still not sure about her major, which makes the course selection more difficult.
   "I know I don’t have to pick freshman year, but it’d be nice to concentrate my courses on the one I think I’ll do," Maureen said. "It’s just stressful not knowing what I’m going to do."
   Maureen isn’t the only one that’s getting a little nervous. As much as John is looking forward to the opportunities that college will bring — new friends, new classes and a new independence — he’s also very anxious about it, he said.
   "One of the hardest things about it is the choices are all yours," John said. "No one is looking over your shoulder. Everything you do now is for your own intrinsic motivation. All of the universities offer so much, and you just have to be more specific. What do I want to do that will put me on the right path? What do I want to do with the rest of my life? That’s kind of what it boils down to."
   Despite the possibility of a heavy workload that comes with studying genetics at Rutgers University, David Hardaker, a senior at PHS, said he’s really not worried, and he’s more than ready to start something new.
   "Maybe I’m looking too far ahead, but I’m just really excited to be done with high school and move on to college," David said. "Senioritis has kicked in. I’ve been in the same place for four years and I’ve kind of gotten to know everything that goes on there. Two more months and that’s it."
   In just a few weeks, Peddie School students will dress in cap and gown, and the Princeton High School students will follow shortly after as they graduate on June 22. Even though some students are counting down the days, minutes and hours until graduation — as of Sunday John said there were 35 days left for Peddie School — they also are hoping the memories will be made and the time will be well spent.
   Earlier this year, when students were still waiting to hear back from colleges, the air was tense, they said. But after the April deadline, when colleges had to send out their response letters, the mood had lightened.
   "Everyone’s breaking out the college apparel that they’ve been hiding in the back of their closets," John said, who happened to be wearing a University of Virginia soccer shirt at the time. "Everyone is just really laid back and trying to enjoy what’s left." Instead of stressing over rejection letters and waiting lists, students are talking about road trips, looking up public transportation routes to their friends’ schools, and comparing Homecoming game schedules.
   The next few weeks will be spent cramming in study sessions for final exams, finishing up end-of-the-year activities with various sports and clubs, and trying to end with good marks.
   The one thing that helps the students, at least the girls, take their mind off things, is thinking about their senior prom: Picking out dresses — which Bridgette and Maureen said they did over spring break — shopping for accessories, ordering a limousine, and booking plans for the post-prom weekend.
   "It’s a relief to know where you want to go and to send the deposit in, but there’s still a lot to do just in ending the year because you want to end high school well," Bridgette said. "And in terms of social life, I don’t have that much time left with my friends. I want to make the most of it. "