Jordan Lesser-Roy

            Although seniors have just completed their first semester, the worry of college still lingers. The stress of finances along with increased competition for acceptance into the college of his or her choice has made the second half of senior year uncertain. The status of being a  “second-semester senior”  has not solidified college acceptance letters. 

 The close proximity of college is a worry to the senior class of MHS and intrigues the students in the grades below, since there are many ways to go through the college process.

Early decision, or ED, is an option for college applicants in which the student is bound to the school to which they are applying. In exchange for the applicant's promise to attend their college or university, schools offer these potential students early notification of their acceptance (or rejection).

Making the commitment to early decision proved to be difficult for the senior class this year. In the past five years at MHS, there has been a growing number of students who have chosen to apply early, allowing them to be done with the application process. This year, however, the number of students applying ED dropped from 107 down to 76.

Guidance counselor Bob Sweeney said he believes there are a few reasons for the decline in ED applications. “It’s a combination of finances and students being indecisive,” he said. “ED is a financially binding decision.”

The cost of an ED application is higher than regular applications, and, if students are accepted, they are locked into paying for the school without knowing what financial aid or scholarship opportunities are available to them.

With the economy in its current unstable state, finances are playing a larger role in students’ application decisions than in previous years.

Another trend that has been growing among college applicants at MHS is the decision to apply to public rather than private universities. In 2009, almost 35 percent of students went to a public institution, a statistic Sweeney believes will remain relatively the same. “The public universities are cheaper,” he said. 

This relatively recent increase in public university applications has caused the birth of a new kind of school: the “public ivy.”

Within New York State, certain SUNY schools are more difficult to get into than others. For students who are just trying to save on tuition, the difficulty of admission to some public schools is disheartening.

This year, students at MHS are applying to a much larger number of schools than in years past. In terms of nation-wide application trends, this is not the case. The indecisive seniors at MHS are having a difficult time deciding where to go to college.

Some seniors’ say that they feel as though applying to a greater number of schools increases their chances. Others admit that they really just do not know where they want to go.

In either situation, Sweeney said he would like to see students' college lists more streamlined and for the applicants to just “focus on a few.”