For seniors, it’s right around the corner.  The month of November is a nail-biting time; college applications are due, college campus tours are taking place, and kids are writing their hearts out in personal essays, trying to make it into their school of choice.

      To learn a little  more about how seniors are feeling right now, 21st Century Multimedia students conducted a survey to learn about their college preferences and interests. Information about the interests of  Whitney Young students has been tallied pertaining to a variety of topics: when kids are applying to college, what area they want to attend school in, what students want to study, and how many colleges students are applying to.  From the 83 responses gathered, we can tell a little bit about this year’s senior class.

     Data is all over the place.  At a diverse school like Whitney Young, people have so many different interests.  Geographically, it looks like the class of 2017 will split up into many different regions. That being said, the most popular regions are the Midwest, East Coast, West Coast, and staying at home in Chicago.

     The majority of seniors have already submitted their college applications. Only 11% of seniors plan to only apply regular decision, while the other 89% has either already submitted some applications or plans on a combination of early and regular deadlines.

     More than 50% of seniors are applying to nine or more schools. Students applying from anywhere between one and eight schools make up less than half of the class.

     On the right, there is a pie chart articulating the majors that Whitney Young seniors want to pursue. Based on the data, it is
evident that students are called to many different things. However, the most popular field among students is Medical Work, at 15.7%.

    Due to the amount of stress, some kids are dripping in sweat. On a scale from one to five, one being calm and not stressed and five being super stressed out, almost 40% of seniors agreed that they are “freaking out”, at five on the scale.  Nevertheless, a few are relaxed and aren’t too worried. More than 85% students feel like they are moderately to extremely prepared for their next year and the start of college, a step into life away from home.

     Here are some tips for underclassmen on the topic:

“Everybody says to start apps early, but actually do them early. Don’t procrastinate.”
– Katherine Riedstra ‘17

“Don’t over stress about the ACT: study and do your best! Be very involved with some school
activities that you are passionate about. If you don’t have any, now’s your time to try new things
and find out what you do and don’t like.” – Olivia Koreman ‘17

“My number one tip is to start early and to be organized. The college application process is
YOUR OWN process. Don’t get wrapped up in where your peers are, and with what they’re doing.”
– Ms. Jaclyn Deppen