Now more than ever, high school seniors are applying to college. There is an ongoing trend of increasing college applications by noticeable amounts each year, and South Windsor High School has evidently been following the same trend.
Common App reported an increase in college applications for the 2024-2025 academic school year. According to Best Colleges, there has been a 7% increase in the number of “distinct first-year applicants, totaling close to 1,425,083” students sending out applications this year.
Most students are looking at attending a four year college in the fall. “As of today, January 17th, 79% of the Class of 2025 have sent out at least one college application,” SWHS Career Counselor, Mrs. Laurie Carty explained.
This year, SWHS seniors have sent out 300 more applications than the class of 2023, which was 2,300 for the entire class that year. This year’s class has already sent out 2,600. There are still months of applications left that will be going out until well into May and even June.
In line with previous years, by the end of the year, about 90% of the class will have applied to at least one school.
However, According to TheGuardian, enrollment of 18-year-old freshmen has decreased “by an alarming rate at 5%”. While the percentage of applications has increased, the number of students actually attending in the fall has dropped.
At SWHS, approximately 10% of students will go right into the workforce, trade school, enlist in the military.
Regardless of where students wind up going, for many students, the process of waiting can be anticlimactic and particularly stressful.
When South Windsor High School Senior Kayla Bolling, who is committed to University of Rhode Island, was asked how hard it was to apply to colleges, she said it was mostly tedious.
“It was kinda hard; they wanted all the grades from your past high school years,” Bolling said. However, she is “excited to experience new life and different cultures”.
While students anxiously wait to check their emails and mailboxes, others are preparing to be in the big leagues such as Justin Dittmar and Robert Wunsch, who are both committed to colleges they have received scholarships to.
Dittmar has committed to Anna Maria on a Scholarship for baseball, and Wunsch has committed to UMass in Boston with a baseball scholarship as well.
“I am excited to get a new experience and get out of Connecticut while playing baseball,” Dittmar said.
Wunsch spoke to The Prowl about his commitment to UMass Boston.
“I’m excited for being a part of a great baseball team and when the winning culture is high, while also being very close to Boston,” Wunsch said.
Dittmar and Wunsh aren’t the only ones that have committed to their future.
South Windsor High School Senior Ava Lewis, has committed to attending the College of Charleston in the fall of 2025.
One of Lewis’ passions is marine life. Her dream is to go to College of Charleston and study marine biology. She applied to College of Charleston for early decision and is majoring in marine biology. Her interest started with her love for sharks.
¨I’m so excited to have the opportunity to study the things I love, in a place I love,¨ Lewis stated.
Ever since she was a kid, Lewis has always been intrigued by sharks and marine life.
Lewis already has her diving certification and is on track to become a divemaster. Becoming a divemaster is the highest qualification a person can have while diving.
Lewis is a dedicated student who is currently taking advanced classes: AP Psychology, UConn marine science, and UConn ECE. She has also taken several AP classes over her four years at South Windsor High School.
A specific interest she has is marine life in relation to pharmaceutical purposes. Marine invertebrates produce more antibiotic, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory substances than any group of terrestrial organisms.
Another topic she’s interested in is ocean taxonomy because it impacts our understanding of global warming, changes in ecosystems, and helps researchers learn more about different species.
¨Studying marine life has always felt like a natural passion to me. I hope that I can truly make a difference while studying pharmaceutical purposes of marine life,¨ Ava Lewis said.
These are just some of the many Bobcat seniors that are set to graduate in June and move forward with their lives to pursue the career of their choosing.
