College Applications are in Full Swing

By: Alexa Thompson

It’s that horrible time of the year when all the seniors are making their final decisions on where they’re applying and are sending in applications. For some schools, it’s a demanding responsibility. Essay after essay, supplemental after supplemental, check box after check box. Luckily, the Gatton staff work hard to make sure that not only provide us with any documentation or information we need, but they also make sure they know us on a personal level to write outstanding letters of recommendation.

Tracy, our main College Coordinator, has been working hard to make sure every student knows about any scholarship opportunity or any program that might interest him or her. Cheryl, our Academic Opportunities Coordinator, has been searching for summer internships. One of the other incredible things about being Gatton student is the relationships we develop with our “counselors.” (We just call them letter writers.) Nearly every college requires a counselor-written letter from the high school, but for students from schools with 1000+ kids, it can be hard to actually have a relationship with said counselor. Here, students pick the staff member they want to write their letter or rec. This letter writer typically already knows the student pretty well, but then they partner together, have special one-on-one meetings, and further improve their connection. A single staff member writes letters for usually between five to ten students, so each letter conveys a personal relationship with the student.

The staff members work hard to make our application process as easy as possible, and we work back to make it easy for them too.