As our seniors prepare to leave PGHS, let’s take the opportunity to look back and reflect on how the college admissions process went. This year, as college decisions came rolling in, multiple teachers took note that the class of 2025 was exceptionally academically focused, and was very successful in getting into some of the top universities in California. Notably, the number of people committing to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is 400% higher than the previous year, from two students in the class of 2024 to eight students in the class of 2025, with many, many more admits. Some have hypothesized that introducing English 1A and English 1B as the advanced option for senior English significantly strengthened PGHS seniors’ applications because Cal Poly highly values a fifth year of English. Underclassmen signing up for classes should keep that under consideration when signing up for classes.

As a whole, those who took English 1A and 1B were very likely to go to 4-year colleges, at 73%, as noted by teacher Mrs. Grogan. 22% are headed to two-year colleges, and the remaining 5% are either serving our country in the military, going into CTE, or exploring other paths. Finally, we asked seniors if they had any advice for juniors as they begin the college application process. The most common piece of advice was to do your research to figure out your list of colleges to apply to. Another common piece of advice stated was to make sure you start on applications early and not procrastinate to submit the best version of your application as possible. Others noted the importance of not stressing too much, because as one senior put it, no matter what happens, “it won’t end you.” In conclusion, the class of 2025 has a bright future ahead of them, and with proper preparation, so do the classes in the years to come!