Danielle Sorcher
Reporter
It’s almost that time of year for seniors — when the long wait for a college acceptance is over and they have to decide which college to attend.
In order to weigh the pros and cons of attending a college, or to learn more about a school, some are reaching out to students who have been admitted for this fall or are currently attending that college.
One way students connect to others is by joining an online group set up by the college. “My college has it’s own website that people can join, and I’m a part of it,” senior Kaitlin Hughes said. “It lets students of all different states who are going to my school get to know each other.”
While some students join similar groups, others are slow to participate in this part of the college experience or decision process. “I haven’t joined any of those groups,” senior Anna Kilbride said. “I feel like it’s a little early right now. I will definitely join one or more in the spring when pretty much everyone knows where they’re going. I just don’t feel the need to be tapped into next year yet. But I do know a lot of people who have posted on [Facebook] group walls.”
Some called students who were friends of friends, or friends of family. “I spoke to a family friend who is currently a junior at the school,” Anna said. “We talked about classes and professors she likes and doesn’t like.”
Senior Brian Brown went about it a little differently, and sought out students who have been accepted into the freshman class this year. “I haven’t talked to kids outside our school about UConn, but I have talked to other kids in school going there, just to talk about how excited we are,” he said.
Many are in agreement that the technology of the current generation has revolutionized the college process. “We can have more research on the colleges and find out more without actually going there,” Kaitlin said.
“Technology definitely makes the transition to college easier,” Brian said. “When I find out who my roommate is, I’m going to friend him to try and get to know him,” he said. “Also, we can coordinate what stuff we will bring for our dorm.”
However, Anna acknowledged that Internet groups for colleges can negatively affect the college process as well. “It makes everything a little bit more high speed when it doesn’t need to be,” she said. “It aids today’s quick and easy mindset instead of letting things just come when they were intended to.”
