By Allegra Tepper

With the October 1 Early Application Contract deadline behind them, the senior class has successfully conquered its first obstacle, or so one can only hope. As Annabelle puts it, "Anyone who has ever told us that senior year is the best year of our life was lying to us.  In fact, it’s the biggest lie I have ever heard. But we’ll be fine...hopefully."

Annabelle*

Despite spurts of pessimism and long work nights, Annabelle is trying to plow through.  Currently on her agenda: getting interviews under her belt.

After the Senior College Night last week, during which Annabelle attended a lecture on interview techniques, she feels confident about her interview at University of Southern California this week, a school her dean says is a likely admit. USC still ranks among her top three choices, along with Stanford and Columbia. While USC does not offer an Early Action or Early Decision program, Annabelle is abstaining from any early programs for her other top choices. 

"Everything besides those three are just second choices," Annabelle said. "I am going to get everything out at the same time, get it all back, lay all my options out on the table and see what’s best for me at this moment in time, or that moment in time."

Annabelle has responded to questionnaires from schools including Columbia, Georgetown and Yale, as well as sent in her stats to several other schools. She has heard from a Cornell coach monthly since late last year, a school she calls a "serious consideration."

Since she is on a spring sports team, Annabelle is not expecting recruits and is putting more emphasis on her ethnic minority and academic merit.  Annabelle recently discussed dropping an AP course with her dean, but was advised that her workload is appropriate and that she has few options this far.

"I thought five AP classes is the norm, but apparently it’s not and I’m doing too much," Annabelle said. "It’s a little challenging... no, it’s a lot challenging." 

Taylor*

For Taylor, while her senior year courses have demanded far more work than she had expected, it is the essays that are currently her biggest obstacle.  Without any essays under her belt, Taylor is taking respite in the fact that she will not be applying early anywhere, buying her a bit more time than the majority of her peers. Taylor’s highest priority now is completing the music supplement to her application.

"The CD is due Dec. 1, which is so much sooner than I thought it would be," Taylor said. 

Oberlin is still one of the major contenders for Taylor, who will be applying to the College as well as the Conservatory, but Williams is her first choice.

"My mom really wants me to get a bachelor’s degree as opposed to just being at a conservatory," Taylor said. "I really love Williams, but I don’t have a beautiful chance of getting in there."

After a visit at Thornton, the music school at University of Southern California, Taylor was surprised that she fell in love with the school. Contrasted with the small liberal arts colleges she is considering, like Bennington, she expected a "big and cold" environment. Instead, she found what she would call a "sweet" one, and she feels confident in her chances of getting into USC, if not specifically Thornton.

"It seems like the safe choice," Taylor said. "As much as I love Williams, it scares me. It’s a different way of life than I am used to, and USC is familiar."

Shawn*

Last week, Shawn made the official commitment to apply Early Decision to the University of Pennsylvania, as well as to the rolling admissions schools of University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

"I am pretty sure I am going to get into Wisconsin, and I’d be happy to go there," Shawn said.

Despite being in the same position as Taylor with his essays and under a shorter time constraint, Shawn said he isn’t worried at all. 

Last month, Shawn ranked New York University among his top four choices, but as of October, he is no longer applying due to the lack of collegiate atmosphere.

He has received letters from coaches at Pomona College and Soka University of America but doesn’t think his athletics are going to be playing a role in his application. Still, he hopes that he will be able to find a team that will accept him as a walk-on.

"My dean and I met at the beginning of the year, and she is just excited that I am applying to a lot of UCs," Shawn said. "My list was packed with reaches before and I needed these safeties."

While the three students have little overlap in the collegiate aspirations, one thing is uniform across the board. As Shawn puts it, "I’m working harder this year than all three years combined."

*names have been changed