The day seniors thought would never come, May 1, is National College Decision Day in the United States, which means the pressure was at an all-time high for seniors to decide where they’ll spend their next four years, after working tirelessly since their junior year to prepare for this moment.

There’s a plethora of factors that come into play when deciding where the Patriots will be spending the next four years. Students may seek out a diverse student body, a prominent alumni network, or the highest amount of financial aid. Seniors such as Bella Sandro found it to be one “of the bigger decisions I’ve made because it’s deciding where I’m going to start my adult life.”

The commitment to venture into the next four years has understandably been met with fear, doubt, and hope for the future. A lot of this fear stems from the uncertainty of the future and navigating it alone. Graduating seniors like senior Lauren Meyer believe college “is not the end all be all for everyone, and it all comes down to what you believe is best for you.” Meyer, who is committed to Villanova’s class of 2027, said. “I knew that Villanova was for me” and the cherry on top for her was more the “student-faculty-ratio, campus culture and how they emphasized the value of community there. I could tell that it wasn’t just empty words.”

For a portion of students nationwide, a traditional college education is a means to an end. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, 61.8% of high school graduates opted to enroll in college immediately after high school. Due to students often having to weigh future career opportunities with the costs of traditional college education, choosing a school with a higher ranking may grant them opportunities others might not have at a lower-ranking institution. Thus, seniors feel the choice “not only dictates where we are going to be but who we are going to become. It’s a huge decision that would be nerve wracking for anyone,” senior Alina Salim said, who is still feeling “the increasing pressure to make the right decision for my future” and deciding between her top four schools Elon University, James Madison University, Duquesne University and Ithaca College.

The thought of relocating far from home has influenced students to opt for an institution not too far from the nest. For seniors like Lauren Meyer, born and raised in the region, the “time does feel like it went too fast” and she wishes for “more time with the people that we’ve grown up with.”

To make the endeavor easier, seniors such as Yule Pieters have connected with “people that will be in the same class as me in the fall.” Pieter said, after noticing his shift to a different social climate feels surreal, that “despite being happy to graduate, I am extremely nervous of the new environmentmental. I wish I had more time to spend with my teachers and friends.”