May 1, 2022
By Ana Gonzales
Staff Writer
For seniors all over the United States, the first day in May, which is known as National College Decision Day, recognizes the single biggest decision of their lives.
Senior Emma Rodrigues, who will be attending the Florham Campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University, said she began her college search by touring schools that have strong criminology programs.
“I knew that I would have to go to the colleges to see the campus [and] meet the students and the professors in order to make the decision of where I wanted to go,” Rodrigues said.
She said she fell in love with Fairleigh Dickinson’s campus and visited it three times before committing to the school.
“I liked that it was smaller compared to other colleges, which meant it would be easier to get to classes during bad weather,” Rodrigues said. “I also liked [that it has] plenty of open space there to sit around or participate in school activities.”
Having lived her whole life in Lyndhurst, Rodrigues said she cannot wait to interact with new people.
“For me, making connections is going to be very important for the field that I am interested in,” Rodrigues said.
Senior Carmen Panuccio said he initially was not sure whether he would prefer staying in-state or attending college out-of-state. He ended up committing to Pennsylvania State University in State College.
“Some advantages [of going out-of-state] include gaining a new perspective on things that you are not native to,” Panuccio said. “When deciding on a college, I wanted to make sure that it would be a great home. A four-year [university] gives me the time to obtain an appropriate degree, adapt to my surroundings and work beyond the border of State College.”
Panuccio said he is looking forward to having a fresh start, studying business and gaining new perspectives because he will be studying with students from all over the United States.
“I have always heard that when you stay in-state, you go home to see your parents and friends most weekends, and I didn’t want that.”
“Within Penn State is the Smeal College of Business,” Panuccio said. “That program is probably one of the best options out there. Their percentages [of students admitted] are very impressive along with their rankings among some Ivy League and other academically noteworthy colleges.”
Senior Francesca Castagnetti will also be attending college out-of-state. She has committed to studying computer science at American University in Washington, D.C. Castagnetti said she was looking to go to school further away from home so she could meet new people and be without the temptation of going home on weekends.
“I have always heard that when you stay in-state, you go home to see your parents and friends most weekends, and I didn’t want that,” Castagnetti said. “I wanted to put in a sink-or-swim scenario so that I have the opportunity to live independently and flourish outside of [my] comfort zone.”
Castagnetti said she made her college decision by prioritizing what was most important to her.
“I was able to determine my college pick based on how competitive my [chosen] major was. [I got] down to things like how big class sizes are, the size of the campus and Greek life,” Castagnetti said.
She said she did not have a preference between private and public institutions, but the campus at American was a factor in her decision to commit.
“To me, American looks like the quintessential college,” Castagnetti said. “In terms of location, Washington D.C. is among the best cities for science and technology and is a beautiful place to live.”
Castagnetti said she is excited to learn about the jobs available for students with degrees in computer science and looks forward to taking on internships and interacting with other dedicated students.
Castagnetti said she is excited to learn about the jobs available for students with degrees in computer science. She said she looks forward to taking on internships and interacting with students who share her interests.
“I can’t wait to get started,” Castagnetti said. “AU ensures that their students are ready to enter the world at the end of their four years with knowledge, experience and connections.”
Castagnetti said she feels relieved that the college decision process is behind her.
“Finally its done, and I can relax and enjoy what is coming up ahead of me,” said Castagnetti.
