This past week has marked the final spring break as high schoolers for the class of 2025. The release of several college acceptances leaves seniors deciding where to commit and facing the reality that a new beginning is approaching.
Many students melded family vacation with college preparation by using this time to explore their home for the next four years. Senior, Tessa Weinsten, who was accepted to Vanderbilt in Early Decision II, visited campus with her parents and younger brother over the break. Although she had already toured the university before beginning the admissions process, Weinstein explains that seeing the campus as an admitted student was a completely different experience.
“Getting to visit Vanderbilt again was so incredible because it allowed me to see the campus not as a prospective student, but as someone who will spend the next four years there. It made me even more excited for the college experience,” Weinstein said.
For Wienstien and her family, this moment was filled with excitement for her future accomplishments and a symbol of the end of a chapter.
Other students have not yet made an official decision, but they finally have all the information they need to start weighing pros and cons. Senior Ashley Garcia is one of the many students who, over the past week, have finished receiving their decisions, but have not made a definitive choice. Garcia received most of her decision while on vacation with her family, skiing in Canada. Thus, quality time with family, meant to unwind, was interrupted by the anxiety of discovering what the next four years would be like for her.
“It felt like after every fun day, my heart was racing while opening another decision. It is crazy to think that I have already heard back from all my schools, and it is finally time for me to make a choice,” senior Ashley Garcia said.
Unlike Garcia, some students have had a dream school in mind since the admissions process began and spent this week awaiting a specific email. Senior Julia Piquest also spent her spring break skiing with her family. However, her vacation was underscored by anticipating a status update to her University of Southern California (USC) application portal, as her dream is to study Popular Music Performance at the Thornton School of Music. She initially thought that her admissions decision would be released on April 1st, due to her niche major; however, when she heard that regular decision responses would be granted on March 26th, she decided to call the University. Upon being told that her decision would be released on the 26th, Piquet made it her mission to find out as soon as possible, continuously checking her portal.
“I didn’t know when it would come out, and for some reason I didn’t receive an email telling me my status was updated, so I just kept checking all day, freezing my hands to pull out my phone on the chair lift,” Piquet said.
Students who have known where they will go for a long time could use this break to collect themselves and spend time with family and friends before changes begin. Senior Gina Copetti committed to the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in September. For her final spring break as a high schooler, she stayed in Miami, using the week to take in her present reality and enjoy it before she must transition.
“I had a pretty mellow week, but it felt nice to lay low, hang out with my close friends and family while still in high school, and appreciate living in Miami,” Copetti said.
While each experience is unique, the consensus is that for seniors, this past break was about accepting new beginnings and finding closure at the end of a cycle.
