“Go Gators!”
“Go Noles!”
“Go Canes!”
“Go Sharks!”

Applying for college at the beginning of your senior year may seem like the best option, but does the early bird always get the worm?
Assistant principal Ms. Leal says, “Applying for early admission gives you a higher chance of being admitted and a higher chance of winning scholarships. It also removes weight off your shoulders because you don’t have to worry about it later on your senior year.”
However, there is a disadvantage. Ms. Leal points out, “If you choose early decision and the college accepts you, then you have no other choice than to attend that college, so there’s not backing out.”

Dream Schools
Many Miami High seniors have already applied to their dream schools. Olvin Villatoro applied to University of Pennsylvania, Brown University, University of Southern California, and UM. “I’m mainly looking for an undergraduate business program, and these universities have it,” he says.
Diego Reyes has his mind set to move to California and has applied to the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, San Diego. “California is the place to be,” he says, “and I don’t think limits exist for me.”
Cassandra Cardenas applied to UM because she’s interested in their medicine program and because her father attended UM too.
Juan Rivera applied to Bates College in Maine, Hamilton College in New York, Connecticut College, Miami-Dade College’s Honors Program, and University of Washington. “They’re all highly selective,” he says, “and include rigorous curriculums.”
Jayde Garcia applied to FSU, Cleveland Institute of Art in Ohio, College for Creative Studies in Michigan, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, University of Cincinnati and Ohio State University. “I applied to these schools because they have the major I want which is industrial design. They’re also out-of-state, and I want to leave Florida,” she said.

Application Process
Some seniors found the application process to be difficult. Juan Rivera said that the colleges he applied to required essays which took up most of his time. “Some essays asked me to reflect about who I am and made me think thoroughly about my response,” he said.
John Gonzalez, who applied to Santa Fe college, found it frustrating to add a ton of personal information and had to be really careful not to fill out anything incorrectly.
On the other hand, Hari Moreno, who applied to FIU, found the application process easy due to the guidelines provided in the application.
“It was not difficult, just time consuming,” said Pablo Iraheta, who applied to UF. “Most questions I already had the answer to.”

Paying College
College can be quite expensive, but seniors have different ways of handling the expenses. Jayde Garcia plans to pay with scholarships, FAFSA, and if necessary loans too.
Maryelin Leal is looking for free money. “I’ve applied for so many scholarships that I’ve lost count! I’m also saving up my own money and hope my mom is doing the same,” she said.
Olvin Villatoro says, “All of the schools I’ve applied for, except UM, will meet my entire financial needs due to a scholarship program that I am in called Questbridge.”
Wendy Arrillaga, who applied to UF and Santa Fe college, will attend college while also working part-time, known as work-study.

Acceptance Relief
After a long wait, some seniors were excited to know they were accepted to their dream school. Maryelin Leal, who was accepted to FGCU, cried tears of joy when her acceptance letter came in.
“Go Noles!” said Isabella Pujol when she was accepted to FSU. Jayde Garcia was also accepted into FSU, as well as to the Cleveland Institute of Art and Milwaukee Institute of Art.
John Gonzalez was accepted into Santa Fe College in Gainesville a couple weeks after applying. “I’m so excited to attend,” he said. Cassandra Cardenas got into her dream school, UM.

Advice to others
Seniors who have completed the college application process have advice for their younger classmates.
Pablo Iraheta said, “Do your essays early and gather teacher letters of recommendation as soon as possible. Do not wait for deadlines, the earlier the better.”
Arletthe Marrero, who applied to the University of South Florida, said researching your schools early makes the whole process a lot easier.
Jamilee Yern, who applied to UF, said, “Make sure to talk to your counselors when you have the chance and be extremely prepared.”
Jayde Garcia said, “Keep your GPA up, retake the ACT and SAT, and don’t be scared to go out-of-state.”