May 1^st was an exciting day for seniors: Decision Day! Many students could be seen representing their college with t-shirts and sweatshirts. While there are many paths to take after high school, this can be a monumental day for college-bound students.

For many of the students pursuing college, the application process began a while back. While the application opened at the beginning of August, preparations—practicing for and taking SATs and ACTs, participating in extracurriculars, and drafting college essays—have been ongoing. Students’ commitment to a college is the culmination of their planning and hard work during their high school years.

Some schools give students the option to apply early, including early decision and early action. Many West students benefitted from this opportunity and thus knew where they were going earlier this year. For student athletes, committing to a school can occur as early as junior year. But for the students who applied regular, most decisions came out in March, up until April 1^st. Although some schools offer extensions, many expect to hear back from you on May 1^st, which is why seniors know it as Decision Day.

A tradition for seniors is the student-run West decision account on Instagram. This year, you can follow @cbwdecisions2023 to see where West seniors have decided to go. There are many students who have decided to go to Penn State and Pittsburgh, two amazing in-state schools. In addition to those, students are going to school across the country, with schools in states like California, Florida, Colorado, New York, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and more. Some students are even leaving the country to study in Europe. Some West seniors have committed to Ivy League and other highly selective schools, such as UPenn, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, Boston University, and Stanford.

In addition, there are a variety of majors students are planning to pursue. While many students are going in undeclared, a great option for students hoping to explore various interests, there are also students who have declared majors in English, business, engineering, psychology, education, nursing, biology, and many more! It’s amazing to see the variety in both schools and majors West seniors have chosen; there are a number of great colleges represented by the Class of 2023.

Rising college freshmen likely still have a few steps to complete before their first day, tasks like finding a roommate and choosing a room, selecting classes, and stocking up on those “dorm essentials.” But after the milestone of Decision Day has passed, many students can feel a sense of relief that they have made the decision they’ve likely been anticipating since the beginning of high school. Now, with that taken care of, they can look forward to the fun events planned for seniors, including graduation, and enjoying the last moments of their high school years.