College Deadlines Loom for Local Seniors

There has been one ray of sunshine through all the snowfall this week – the University of Georgia has extended the college application deadline to Jan. 18 and Georgia Tech extended their deadline to Jan. 21 to make accommodations for students who are unable to gather the needed information thanks to Mother Nature.

The past few days of closed schools, limited mail delivery and inability to meet with guidance counselors may be just another stress factor to local high school seniors trying to meet the application deadlines for Georgia’s top two universities, as well as many other colleges across the country. Local seniors commented about their experiences with the college application process and how it adds another worry to an already busy final high school year.

“Senior year has not been as easy as I thought it was going to be,” said Sydney Perlotto, an Etowah High School senior.

“There is less pressure because it is the last year, and you are going to graduate, but there is a lot more stress.  It is hard to make time for school work, clubs, college applications, friends and this horrible thing called the Senior Project,” Perlotto added.

She applied to UGA, University of Maryland, University of North Carolina, George Washington University, Princeton University and University of Virginia.

Perlotto said she feels being involved in extra-curricular activities while in school is a benefit in the competitive college application environment. She is president of the National Honor Society, senior leader on a Relay for Life team, member of Mu Alpha Theta, member of the National Beta Club and a summer volunteer for Safety Town, a program that teaches soon-to-be kindergartens safety skills.

“I am really involved in clubs and activities and do think that they are important not only for getting into college but also for a good high school experience.” 

Sydney added that current high school students should get involved, not only to boost their personal resume, but for the experiences they provide. 

“Clubs, activities and volunteer programs are a great way to meet people with similar interests and also help out in the community. There are so many options out there that anyone can find their niche. I know my freshman year I was really intimidated about being in high school but after joining a few clubs, especially Relay for Life, I really ended up having a great experience. I recommend finding something that you enjoy and really sticking with it.”

The stress and worry does not stop with the application process; now the waiting game begins. “I’m getting a little more nervous now that I am done applying, but have to wait til' March and April to hear back from colleges,” she added. “It seems like it takes forever.”

Francine Tortorello graduated from Etowah High School in 2009 and is a sophomore at Valdosta State University. As a veteran of not only the application process but having made the decision from a list of potential colleges, she reflected on the stress factors of senior year.

Francine applied to seven colleges; Valdosta State, University of Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Georgia College and State University, Georgia Southern University, North Georgia, and Armstrong Atlantic University and was accepted into five out of the seven.

She was busy with extra-curricular activities in high school, and found they were a more important part of the college application process for larger universities.

While working her junior and senior year, she was involved in cheerleading, the school newspaper, RVI Club, Student Ambassadors, FEA and completing an internship throughout her high school career.

“I would like to think that my involvement helped with my college application. However, I feel like they look at that more for bigger schools than smaller schools,” she said.

Like many local students will face in these tough economic times, her decision was based on financial considerations.

“By Christmas of '08 I had marked it down to Valdosta and Alabama. We visited Valdosta, and I loved it. Then in January we visited Alabama, and I too loved it."

Tortorello was starstruck by the size of Alabama's campus, but knew the doubled cost between the schools was not doable for her.

"So after seeing that, I decided that Valdosta is where I wanted to go. It’s a great school and had everything I wanted minus the price tag and big school experience.”

Even after the SATs are taken, the applications are submitted and the financial aid forms are complete, many seniors will still face a few months of stress and uncertainty while determining their college plans. The decision will have to be made, and the school of choice notified by May 1 in many cases.  Then the Class of 2011 will begin the next chapter of their lives–as the Class of 2015.