There are two primary phases of the college admissions process for students, the applying phase and the deciding phase. They often overlap when you’re already getting responses from some schools while you’re still applying to others. Katie is finished with the first phase, having applied to 20 different colleges. Congratulations, Katie!

Meet the Class gets updated each month from September to May. Each installment features an interview about both the facts and the feelings of where the student is in the process.
Interviews may be edited lightly for clarity and grammar. Names may be changed to protect privacy.
Katie ATTENDS A Private Christian HIGH SCHOOL IN Ohio

You had several applications due in November and also several prescreens due December 1st. Did you get those complete and submitted?

I did not get all of the things I needed to submit submitted. There was a complicated situation with my Roosevelt and the University of Oklahoma prescreens, so those two were not submitted. Everything else I needed to complete was submitted, though.

Now that you have some applications out and several acceptances back, how are your feeling about admissions season?

I am feeling much, much better than I was last month. It feels really great to be getting accepted, although I know it doesn't really mean that much. It feels nice to have a lot of things just off of my to-do list and out of my hands. I am still concerned about my applications, but I feel a lot more relaxed about this whole process.

How's school going for you? Does all this focus on the future change how you go through high school on a daily basis? Are there any signs of senioritis yet?

School is going well. I am taking more classes than I have in years, and it is a lot. I am really enjoying it all though. Exams are very soon, though, and there is a lot of stress that comes with that. I don't think that my focus on the future has really changed how I have felt about this year, but the fact that I am attending quite a few on-campus college classes has made this year much more fun for me. I don't have senioritis just yet. I am excited about my next chapter, but I am also excited about all my new classes next semester.

Did you go on any college visits or have any interviews in November? Do you have any planned for December?

I did not have any interviews or visits in November. I don't have any planned at the moment, but I am considering going to visit the University of Central Missouri this month.

How was your Thanksgiving? Did you do any college-related work over the break?

Thanksgiving was good. I really needed the break. I did a ton of college work that weekend. I filmed a few prescreens, wrote some supplemental essays, and finished a few applications.

How involved has your family been the past few months? Do they have any preferences from your current college list? How big a factor will your family be in your final decisions?

My family has been a part of my college journey, but not a positive part. My family and I have very different views of what I need for the next four years of my life. They want me to go to a private Christian school and double major, but that is not what I want at all. Neither of us has really budged from our camps, so while they have been involved, I have been applying to these schools completely on my own. My family wants to be the sole deciding factor in my college decision, but I don't think they will end up being involved at all. I have added a school to appease my family because it was a free application and decent.

Let's go over your list and make sure I have it correct:

Penn State (top choice)

University of Hartford (top choice, applied)

Ball State University

Central Washington University

Columbia College Chicago (accepted, offered scholarship!)

Indiana University Bloomington (applied)

Minnesota State Mankato (accepted!)

Montclaire State

North Dakota State (accepted!)

Rider University (top choice, applied)

Roosevelt University (applied)

Temple University (applied)

University of Central Missouri

University of Utah (applied)

University of Minnesota Duluth (applied)

University of Minnesota Twin Cities (accepted!)

University of Oklahoma

University of South Dakota

University of the Arts

Western Michigan (applied)

Is that right? Any changes?

I have applied to all my schools by now. I was accepted to the University of Central Missouri and Western Michigan. I was offered a scholarship at the University of Central Missouri, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minnesota State, and North Dakota State. I was invited to a scholarship competition at Western Michigan. I was accepted to the honors programs at Columbia and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

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Photo by Angela Elisabeth.