With National College Decision Day on May 1 and graduation day just around the corner, seniors at Bloomington South are eagerly anticipating the next chapter of their academic journeys, particularly those who have secured spots at prestigious universities with low admission rates.

Senior Dylan Stringer, who will soon head to Swarthmore College (7% acceptance rate), admits to feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness prior to starting his college journey in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.

“It’s very exciting, [but] also very scary,” Stringer said.

Stringer plans to major in chemistry at Swarthmore, a subject he has been fond of all his life. Stringer emphasized the pull of the college’s extensive undergraduate lab experience.

“Swarthmore has a lot of undergraduate lab experience that’s available, and that’s what I’m really excited about. I am very excited to be in a lab [as an undergraduate]. Most colleges and universities will leave those spots for graduate students,” he said.

As Stringer prepares to embark on this new chapter of his life, he eagerly awaits the opportunity to interact with new faces in a new environment.

“I am excited to see an entirely new range of people that I’ve never seen before in my life that are not from Bloomington, don’t go to [South], and are from all over the country and the world,” Stringer said.

Senior Brooke Liao is faced with the challenge of deciding to attend Harvard University (4.6% acceptance rate) or Stanford University (4.3% acceptance rate). Liao admitted to having “a lot to consider” when ultimately making her college decision.

Liao said, “Although they’re both good schools, they have very different cultures, and there’s very different opportunities surrounding the two schools. I feel like a lot of what I do in the future, and the people I meet kind of rest on what I choose, which I guess is true of all colleges, but it’s a [very] difficult decision.”

She plans to major in computational biology with a minor in economics.

Liao said, “The academic and research opportunities are pretty strong at both Harvard and Stanford. I feel like I’m mostly looking at the vibe of the students, the campus, and how well I feel like I fit in.”

In addition, Liao broke down common misconceptions and stereotypes that surround the two reputable institutions.

“I think, contrary to some belief, the students [at both schools] are very kind. I feel like the cultures [at Harvard and Stanford are] very collaborative, [and] it’s not as competitive as a lot of people think,” Liao said.

Similar to Stringer, Liao is looking forward to “[meeting] new people, specifically people who are really accomplished and all really ambitious.”

Senior Ivan Ochoa Lynch, bound for Dartmouth College (6.4% acceptance rate) to continue his academic career, but also his athletic career, committed to the Dartmouth track and field team for throwing.

The majority of factors that influenced Lynch’s decision to choose Dartmouth for both academic and athletic endeavors was “mostly athletic stuff.”

“I mean, it came down to either going there or going somewhere [else] that was offering me a lot more money, and then I decided to do ROTC to pay for everything,” he said.

In terms of his goals and aspirations for his college experience at Dartmouth, Lynch was straightforward.

“Graduate [and] go to the NCAA championships,” Lynch said.

When asked to share his thoughts on the campus culture and community at Dartmouth, especially from the perspective of a student-athlete, Lynch said, “[Dartmouth has] as reputation as a party school, but I’m really looking forward to the community because I already have people I know there, and having the athletic base as well as just being a student on a smaller, tighter knit campus out in the middle of nowhere sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Senior Amelie Parrish, set to attend the University of California, Berkeley (11.3% acceptance rate), eagerly anticipates returning to her birthplace of California for her college experience.

“I lived [in California] when I was younger [and I] was born there, so I’ve always wanted to return. It’s nice to be able to get into a college that is where I want to be, but also has a good academic environment,” Parrish said.

Parrish, planning to major in integrative biology, highlighted the school’s interesting club and course opportunities.

“[There are] a lot of different STEM clubs and biology [clubs]. I’m interested in physical therapy, so [classes] focused on that, but also athletic clubs too. I’ve always been interested in powerlifting; they have a powerlifting club, [a] gymnastics club, those types of things, so I can really get involved with the people around me,” Parrish said.

Parrish shared her excitement for the upcoming chapter of her life at UC Berkeley, “I’m excited for a good change in scenery and meeting new people. I love South. I love the people here, but it’ll be good to have a change.”

Many other South seniors have also been admitted to prestigious universities with historically low acceptance rates including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University, and Tufts University. Those students now face similar difficult decisions as to where to take the next chapter of their educational journey.