by Samantha Stern
As winter turns to spring and end of the school year grows closer, there is a big change coming for our GHS seniors – and many have already experienced it. For the graduating class of 2023, college is just around the corner.
From submitting applications to reading letters of acceptance, the whole process can be extremely nerve-wracking. As high school ends for many and they begin to pave their own path, that may leave us wondering: Where are we all going? According to niche.com, the five most popular colleges at Goochland High School are James Madison University (JMU), Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Virginia Tech, University of Virginia (UVA), and Longwood University.
On why she chose to attend VCU School of The Arts next fall, senior Abigail Nadolski, said, “I enjoy the urban environment of the university and I am familiar with many of the staff members and classes after taking a summer program there.”
Many students, like Nadolski, choose where they go based on their familiarity or comfort with the school. This is reasonable – college is a huge change for most students, so it makes sense that they would like to be somewhere with which they are familiar. Fellow senior Fisher Finck was recently accepted to his top-choice school, the College of William & Mary. When asked why he is choosing to attend this college he said, “I love the sense of community at William & Mary. My sister goes to this college, which has given me plenty of opportunities to see the campus and form connections there.”
Connections and familiarity are a big part of choosing a college. It is not uncommon for students to apply to colleges that their parents attended, and this can even boost their chances. Students who are children of an alumni of a certain university are called “legacy students,” and this status can give them up to a 45% better chance of getting into certain colleges. Students with a legacy status have a 30% acceptance rate at Harvard University, which is more than seven times the average acceptance rate of 4 percent. Due to recent controversy surrounding the inequity of legacy admissions, some schools have gotten rid of them completely, such as Texas A&M University. Some colleges in Virginia that still consider legacy status are UVA Virginia Tech, Washington & Lee, JMU, and William & Mary.
So, what makes JMU the top school for many Goochland students? Located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, JMU is less than two hours away from Goochland. With 721 acres, JMU boasts a large campus in a small city setting that sits in the Shenandoah Valley. The Wall Street Journal even calls JMU the “most recommended university in the United States,” finding that JMU students were more likely to recommend their school to others than students at any other university. JMU’s applicant pool grows every year, with the 2022 application year having the highest number of applicants so far.
Wherever you choose to go next year, college or not, we wish all of our seniors the best. Do what makes you happy, not what makes others happy. Good luck with whatever you end up doing, and stay positive!
Samantha Stern is a senior at GHS and a staff writer at the Paw Print
The Paw Print 