College is still the next step for most seniors after high school, even after so much has changed throughout the year. 

“I was mainly looking for a school that had a good department for my major and was affordable. I also looked to see if it was possible to play collegiate sports but education and price are the biggest factors,” senior James Cairns said. 

The transition from high school to college can be a hard time normally, and this year has not been normal. Seniors are faced with finding the perfect school, despite restrictions from COVID-19.

“It is a lot harder to get into certain universities because they are having increased referral rates due to the over the acceptance of last year’s students due to COVID,” Cairns said. 

When looking for the right college, students examine a number of factors, cost, requirements, location, and more. 

“The main thing I look at is where it is located, how the campus and complexes work, and would I like it,” senior John Moritz said. 

Scholarships of course help ease the stress slightly, however, they are not easy to come by. Still, if a senior is going to college, they should at least try to apply for some type of scholarship. 

“I am looking to play baseball so I have not applied to any myself, however, the biggest challenge is finding a place that is going to fit me. COVID made recruiting hard,” Moritz said. 

Along with multiple scholarships, students find that applying to multiple colleges helps ease the stress. This increases their chances of actually getting accepted into at least one school, as well as giving them options when making the final decision.

“I really do feel like this lets more people get an opportunity. I feel like if it is what they need to do for themselves to find what fits them then they should do it,” Moritz said. 

Arguably the most important part of going to college is taking the ACT. In a normal circumstance, students get one free ACT as a junior, provided by the school. However, the class of 2021 did not get the chance to take the ACT at school and instead were given a free voucher to use.

“I have not taken the ACT simply because I did not have the time to study for the test these past two years and also because I have found other ways to get scholarships for college,” Cairns said. 

While students were given the opportunity to sign up for one free test with the voucher, several colleges are waving ACT and SAT scores, making them optional.

“I still recommend taking the time to get good scores because it can help you get more scholarships,” Cairns said. 

Despite these obstacles, students are still making plans for the future. With or without pre-college visits or ACT scores, seniors are determined to take the next step after high school.