As 12th graders like myself have officially entered the last stretch of high school and “Second Semester Senioritis” takes over, a serious decision still lingers for many of us: deciding where to spend the next four years of our lives. Some lucky students have already known the fate of their future for a few months now as Early Decision applicants heard back as early as November. Many of us undecided students envy our peers who have this benefit because they have had a massive weight lifted off their minds for months. Others have also decided on their plans after graduation in June, whether they are working full-time, joining the military, or taking a year off to figure out their next course of action. Whether you are a student like me who has been accepted into schools but has no idea how to decide where you want to go, are thinking about attending CCM, or will start working right away, you are not alone. I decided to interview some students from the MHS Class of 2013 to learn about all the options the Class of 2014 has.
I decided to first talk to Katie Von Der Linde (KV), who transferred from Gettysburg College to Wake Forest University this semester, about her decision.
MDO: So when you heard back from all of your schools last year, how did you decide on Gettysburg?
KV: Well I was actually between Gettysburg and one other school at the time and after going to both school’s accepted students days Gettysburg just felt like the better fit for me.
MDO: How did you know you wanted to transfer from Gettysburg?
KV: My older brother is now a junior at Wake Forest and we’ve always been really close and I came down to NC to visit him after applications were due last spring and I fell in love with the school. I actually hadn’t even applied because I kind of considered it to be his school but when I went to Gettysburg in the fall and it was still in the back of my mind I knew I had to at least apply.
MDO: And how are you enjoying Wake now? What makes it different from Gettysburg?
KV: I mean I had kind of a unique experience from what I’ve heard from other transfer students because it wasn’t like I hated Gettysburg. It was really hard leaving the school and all my friends but the academic opportunities at Wake are something I really wanted in a school so it’s been great. I think the biggest difference between the two schools is the focus and motivation of the student body as a whole. It’s nickname is “Work Forest” and that’s definitely not an exaggeration but the intensity motivates you to work that much harder and at the end of the four years you end up with a degree from a “Top 25” school and know the work will be all worth it.
MDO: How was the initial transition to Wake? What do you plan to now study?
KV: I knew I wanted the chance to get on campus early and meet as many people as I could so I opted to go through sorority recruitment before classes started in January. It was super stressful at first but it forced me out of my comfort zone and I met so many cool new people. I ended up a part of an amazing group of girls and I’m so excited for the next few years. My interest in Political Science was sparked when I was at Gettysburg and the department here is very strong so I’m most likely going to major in Political Science with a minor in English.