For many Hollis Brookline High School seniors, May 1 marked an end to the prolonged process of college decisions. After months of test-taking and essay-writing, college-bound students have finally made their decisions of where they will spend the next two to four years.

There were are many factors that played into the college decisions of the Class of 2019. For some students, like Morgan Wright ‘19, the location was key. “I decided to go to Suffolk University because I liked the idea of being in the city and being independent. I was choosing between staying close or going to New York, but I liked how at Suffolk, I can major in what I want to,” she said. Wright plans on majoring in Film and Cinema.

Dana Ulrich ‘19 also attests to the importance of the location and atmosphere of a school in the decision process. “What drew me the most to go so far and in a place so different was knowing that even though I could have gone to a school in New England and have felt the same freedom, going to California made me feel like I was getting a second chance and a refresh with something so new. My mom has gone there as part of a semester exchange program and fell in love with the warm and uncommon atmosphere, and I wanted to do the same,” she said. Ulrich will be attending San Diego State University where she will be studying Pre-Kinesiology.

For MacKenzie Wood ‘19, choosing a college was a matter of finding the school with the programs that she was looking for. “I was originally looking for a small school with a pre-vet program, which is how I came upon Asbury University. I ended up loving Asbury and saw that it had a lot of majors that I was interested in. It also has an equestrian program which was a big part of my decision,” said Wood.

Of course, going to college isn’t the only thing that Hollis-Brookline students are pursuing after high school. According to the 2018-2019 Hollis Brookline High School Profile, 7.3% of students in the class of 2018 sought out employment directly after graduation, 1.2% entered the military, and 4.8% took a gap year.

Although the senior class of 2019 is going many different places, Kathleen Maynard, a guidance counselor at HBHS, seems to think that there was a common theme throughout all of the decisions made this year. “I feel like students were very thoughtful this year and wanted validation for their hard work. I certainly saw a lot of students make decisions holistically,” said Maynard.

Although graduation on June 8 will be bittersweet for teachers and students alike, there is certainly an overall feeling of excitement for the accomplishments and future plans of the HBHS Class of 2019.