As college decisions come to a close, seniors are embracing the coveted condition known as “senioritis.” While they rejoice in their ability to kick back and relax, juniors are just entering the nightmare known as college applications.

In the past 2 months, juniors have begun to meet with their counselors, write common application essays and self­-evaluations, and even spend their spring breaks

visiting colleges. The process will no doubt be stressful in the year to come, yet students have high hopes.

Choosing the right colleges to apply to is always the first step. Some students have already started keeping lists of potential colleges. Stellar athletes have already

received offers of recruitment from different schools. In a school as diverse as Central, students all seek different things in their dream colleges.

“The chance to experience life on my own and to just really enjoy life and freedom outside of my lifestyle, good academic programs, a strong social scene, and

preferably a small college,” said Jack Mueller, junior, when pressed on what he looks for.

“A school that will provide me with the majors that I want, that I’ll still I’ll be myself at,” said Anastasia Kasimos, junior.

“I would look for the size of the school, the location of the school,” said Colleen Major, junior. “I would look for whether it was rural or urban and if it has the majors that I want or the minors that I want and whether it has the clubs that I want to do.”

“I look for how strong the undergrad program for business/accounting is,” said Tuhina Bhatt, junior. “Then it’s also the campus feel and the distance from home.”

It seems all these students have high expectations for the schools they are planning on applying to. Even though their desires are different, there are indeed similar trends. Not surprisingly, of the traits most important to students is the academic atmosphere. Students seem to prefer schools with very focused students who are passionate about what they learn.

The college application process will no doubt seem daunting for the junior class, however, the Red Devil spirit has carried generations of students through the arduous journey and has imparted lessons that these students will carry with them as they graduate from high school. This year’s juniors will be no exception.