Julianna still has some AP tests coming up, as well as normal everyday school. But her college application season is completely finished. This may have been the calmest, most successful season I’ve witnessed. Even with Covid. Read her final interview of the year below. Congratulations, Julianna, and thank you!

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.
Julianna attends a public high school in Kentucky

I assume your plans haven't changed, and you're still on track for the University of Georgia next year?

Yes, I am a bulldog through and through! In the last few weeks, I received decisions from my final three schools. I was accepted to Northwestern and Boston University, and I was waitlisted at Syracuse. BU even offered me a full tuition scholarship! But I have no regrets about my decision to attend UGA, and this is absolutely the best fit for me.

What did you do over Spring Break? Did you go on the trip with your aunt?

Over spring break, I went to Red River Gorge with some friends. It’s a state park in Kentucky, and one of my favorite places. We had a few days of hiking and adventure!

What's the rest of your school year look like? Are you still busy? Has senioritis taken over?

I received my first vaccine dose last week, so soon things will start to look more normal. We will be having graduation outside in person, so I’m looking forward to that. I have AP tests to worry about, but all in all it should be a pretty relaxed rest of the year. Senioritis has definitely taken over, but I’m trying to just chill and recharge before I have to be back in the game in college!

How does it feel to be finished with the college application process?

It’s relieving to be done. I never expected to end up where I am, but I wouldn’t want to be going anywhere else in the fall. I feel like everything is falling into place.

If a current high school junior asked you for a single piece of advice, what would you tell them?

I would tell them to put their authentic self into everything, and really prioritize their own opinions. For too long, I was preoccupied with the notion that some schools don’t compare to others. But after really listening to my heart, I know I’m going where I need to be- even if it’s not where I would have expected.

What do you wish I had asked you that I didn't? What else would you like to share? (Personal note to a future journalist: the "what should have I asked that I didn't" question is one that I learned from my journalist mother. I heard her interview many people through the years, and she almost always ended with something like that. I once heard her ask someone "what is it you're not supposed to tell me that you're dying to tell me?" and they talked another 30 minutes.)

I love the anecdote you mentioned regarding this question. My mother was a journalist who graduated from Northwestern in 1991. She passed away in 2013, and I always dreamed about going to NU. For that reason, it was hard to be accepted and turn it down. But at the end of the day, I know she is proud and happy for me. I won’t be following her footsteps in terms of schools, but she’ll be guiding me with her example every step of the way on my own journey to become a journalist.

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Photo by Angela Elisabeth.