Students at Stillwater Area High School are slowly being introduced to the aggressive world of college. They find that to succeed after high school, ambition is a necessity. Seniors graduating in the class of 2014 are under constant pressure to look their best for colleges.

There is so much competition now in the United States, it is a lot harder for graduating seniors to get accepted into the college of their choice.

Proximity to home is a major factor seniors contemplate when choosing what colleges they want to apply to, not only because it is appealing, but because according the the University of Minnesota website, the cost is over $6,000 more for a non-resident’s tuition each year, not including other living expenses.

“My ideal college would be close enough to home where I can come home on the weekends but far enough where I have some freedom and independence to learn what it’s like to be more on my own,” said senior Emma Abrahamson.

Public college, University of Minnesota, has a tuition adding up to $25,124 for residents, compared to a private college, Gustavus Adolphus, which has a tuition that adds up to $48,800 yearly.

“My top choices are Gustavus and Luther. The hardest thing so far has just been deciding on where I want to go,” said senior Mitch Bruggers.

As a dedicated baseball player at SAHS, Bruggers, and many other athletes, took the option of playing their sport into consideration when choosing what colleges to apply to.

Bruggers said, “What I like about Gustavus is the size, the people seemed really nice, the campus is very nice, but especially that I can play baseball there.”

There are many other factors to take into consideration when choosing a college as well as proximity and interests.

Abrahamson said “The colleges I applied to all seem to have a friendly environment and they aren’t huge universities, that was a big factor because I don’t want to feel overwhelmed or anything.”

It is incredibly stressful and competitive getting into the colleges that students apply to.

“The hardest thing is just making sure you have everything in order and on time. I haven’t gotten any acceptances yet because it took a long time to send my ACT scores, I’m just hoping nothing else goes wrong,” Abrahamson added.

As excited as seniors are, they also know how big of an adjustment college will be for them.

“I am excited but scared because it will be so unusual to get used to but it’s also a part of growing up, but I know it will be hard to adjust to living away from home,” Abrahamson said.

Many other seniors have mixed feelings about being away from home as well.

“I can’t decide if I’m excited or not excited. I like the freedom, but to be away from everything I’ve ever known is sad,” said senior Mitch Bruggers.

In the competitive world of college and careers ahead, seniors at SAHS are excited to start this new chapter in their lives, and advance in their journey to being a part of the real world.