By Rukkia Liaqat

There is quite a thought process that goes into applying for colleges, scholarships, FAFSA and the countless other things students apply for senior year, but the worst part is making a final decision on what to do and where to go. I interviewed three seniors, Mariam Ghanayem, Sergio Correa, and Nidhi Dave, who are all going through this difficult process to see how they were handling it. I got answers that ranged from “eh, it’s under control” to “I’m about to pull my hair out, stressed.”

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/232915336″ params=”color=0066cc&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Mariam Ghanayem is in the top 10 percent of her senior class and seems pretty relaxed about college. She is confident in her choices even though she hasn’t committed anywhere yet. Having applied to a total of eight schools based on what they had to offer in scholarships, Mariam has been accepted to all eight. At this point, Mariam is most likely going to Moraine Valley Community College because it’s the most economical. She can take all of her general education courses in of two years, while saving a ton of money.

Even though Mariam is already leaning towards one college, when considering her other options her main concerns are affordability in relation to academic standing, as well as a good professor to student ratio. Mariam has decided against living in a dorm and is set on commuting for college no matter what school she decides on. She will also look for Math and Science clubs.

Sergio Correa is living life to the fullest his senior year. He’s applied to UIUC, UIC, DePaul, NIU, Dominican, all of them providing the things necessary for him to accomplish his goals. Fortunate enough to be accepted to all 5 of the schools, Sergio is stuck with the hard decision of picking just one to continue the next chapter of his life.

When asked which school is best for him, Sergio replied, “That’s tough to say because they all have great things to offer and I think I’ll be satisfied wherever I end up going. If I had to narrow it down to 2 it would be UIUC and UIC. They seem like great schools and are very different in their own way.” When it comes to living in a dorm or commuting, Sergio has based it on the how far away the school is from home. If he goes to UIUC or NIU he opted for dorms because “they are far from home.”

Although, there are many factors affecting Sergio’s decision he hasn’t let them detour him away from being very exciting about going to college, meeting new people and joining as many clubs possible. He has yet to make his decision, but until then he will continue adding to his pros and cons list for each of the 5 universities he has applied.

Mathlete star and future nursing student, Nidhi Dave, is very excited and nervous about picking a school for next year. Nidhi has applied to 5 schools and was accepted to all 5 but has a clear number one. Her top choice is Loyola University because they provide a great program for her intended major, but they also have a beautiful campus and many amazing opportunities.

Nidhi is very confident in Loyola, but will continue to keep an open mind about the educational values and opportunities from the other four schools she has applied to. Nidhi is also set on staying in a dorm because she wants to experience living on her own. She is decisive and knows what she wants and intends to make her final decision very soon.

There you have it, the thought process seniors from the Class of 2017 are going through to pick the school best suited for them. Best of luck to Mariam, Sergio, Nidhi, and all the seniors out there as the deadline to make their final decision approaches. May the odds be ever in your favor.