The second semester of the 2022-2023 school year is not only a time of stressful midterms, but also the time when Seniors are planning their lives for after Woodland.

Many seniors who are going to college have applied to schools using Early Action and are receiving their admissions decisions now. Early Action is when students apply to colleges using an earlier application deadline, in turn they get their admissions decisions back earlier.

Most Early Action deadlines can range anywhere from early November to mid December, and some schools can have their deadline as early as October. Applying Early Action is non-binding, which is often confused with Early Decision which is binding. Dylan Burkowsky, current senior and future pharmacy major, applied to seven out of 12 schools Early Action.

“If you want to go to the school and you’re a proactive student, then [Early Action] automatically sets you apart,” said Burkowsky.

Some schools she applied to did not have Early Action, instead they had a rolling decision, which is where the applications are reviewed as they are received instead of being reviewed after a set due date. Colleges like New York University, Louisiana State University, and the University of Connecticut also offer early decision, which is a binding application if they are accepted.

Contrary to the previous schools listed, Burkowsky is mainly applying to southern schools. She attributes her selection of schools to her sister, Spencer, current student at Clemson University. Burkowsky’s decision to apply Early Action has given her an overall advantage to decide which school she will attend, allowing her to decide where she will attend quicker.

There are many seniors who have decided to continue their athletic career in college and have already committed to schools. Samantha Sosnocivh, for example, made her verbal commitment to Merrimack College last May and signed in mid-November to play Division I softball.

“Merrimack was one of the schools on my list for the longest time; I just fell in love with it,” said Sosnovich. “And then they offered me really early so [I] might as well jump on it.”

It was not only the athletics that attracted her to the school, but also their criminal justice program. Sosnovich had always had an interest in that area but has now decided she would like to pursue a career that specializes in crime scene investigation.

While most students commit early due to athletics, there are a few who applied to schools Early Decision simply because they love everything about the school. Cori Patchcofsky applied Early Decision to the University of Alaska Fairbanks because she was passionate about going to school in Alaska.

“I fell in love with Alaska, and I wanted to go to college there,” said Patchcofsky. “I got to see all the programs and they have a really good program that I’m interested in for my major.”

Alaska and its unique beauty was something which especially drew her to spending the next couple years of her educational career there.

Patchofsky will be studying Geoscience for her undergraduate degree and plans to get a doctorate in law.

Each senior who is going to college next year has had their unique experience of choosing which path to take to get there; while it is bittersweet to say that their time at Woodland is ending, they are looking ahead to their future and what it has to offer.