Welcome to July! This month always means transition for me – winding down my work with recently graduated seniors, ramping up application and essay work with rising seniors and checking in with my freshmen and sophomore students.  But I always try to find time to re-connect with my former students who have just completed one or more years of college. Sharing their reflections about their college application process or experience of transitioning to college is fun and I hope informative for students embarking on the process.  This month features an interview with a former student, Kira Griffin, a sophomore at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.   Here’s what she shared about finding the right college fit and her first-year experience as a college student.

With so many colleges to choose from how did you build your list of prospective schools? I first built my list of colleges simply by doing research online and seeing which schools grabbed my interest. I had a few local schools and I had a lot of schools in Southern California. I’ve always had the idea that I wanted to attend school in Southern California so those universities were higher up on my priority list. I applied to a few schools that were very new to me (schools I hadn’t heard of), which I then later researched more.

Did you visit all of the schools to which you applied? During the spring break of my Junior year in High School, I went a college road trip with my best friend. We looked at five schools in Southern California and three schools in San Diego. I did not visit all of the schools that I applied to because some of those schools were safety schools. I didn’t see a point visiting schools that I wouldn’t want to go to if I had already gotten into schools higher up on my priority list.

How did the campus visits impact your final decision? After I got all of my results back regarding the schools I got into, I was able to narrow down my list to the ones I was really considering. I thought back to the campus visits and which campus I felt most at home at. As I was on the college tours, there were certain campuses where I literally couldn’t picture myself walking around as a student on that campus. When that was the case, I instantly knew that it wasn’t the school for me to attend. I believe campus visits are a ​very important part in the process of choosing your college. Loyola Marymount University’s campus instantly attracted me with all of the palm trees and modern looking buildings. Also, when visiting my final schools there were just some things that LMU had that others didn’t and I really took that into consideration. I just really believe that visiting and picturing yourself on the campus is very important because you could read about the school online, but you don’t truly know what it’s like to be on campus until you actually are there.

What made you consider out of state colleges? Was that scary/uncomfortable for you? To be completely honest, I wasn’t really interesting in applying to out-of-state schools. After having meetings with Ms. Antoinette, she really encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and apply to at least a couple of out of state colleges. I ended up applying to Arizona State and University of Nevada Reno, and was accepted to both schools.  Applying to schools that weren’t in California was scary for me because I never imagined myself going out of state for college. I was worried and anxious about how diverse those universities would be compared to California schools, because diversity is very important to me for my college experience.

What strategies helped you acclimate to college life? Joining different clubs and also attending a lot of school events definitely helped me become accustomed to college life.  Going to these things really got me involved in the campus activities and I was able to meet so many new people.

Did you declare a major when you arrived on campus?  If so, what was it? When I was applying to Loyola Marymount University I chose Business Marketing as my major. I chose this because it is really something that I am interested in and I believe that with my creativity and leadership skills, this field would be something that I can excel in.

What surprised you the most?  Something that has surprised me the most is how welcoming college is. I feel like in college people are able to do whatever they want without being judged, unlike high school where everything is like a competition between one another. The sense of community, specifically at LMU, really surprised me. When I came to visit LMU I was only here for a couple of hours so I couldn’t fully experience the people. Living on campus this past year showed me that everyone is so inclusive, no matter what, which makes me feel really supported.

In what ways did you feel the most (and least) prepared for your transition to college? Honestly, coming into college I felt like I was very prepared. My high school, Moreau Catholic High School (Hayward), is a college-prep school and I believe they did a good job on preparing the students. I also, have a cousin that is a year older than me who also attends Loyola Marymount University, so she was very helpful in telling me what to expect especially at LMU. I would say that coming into to college I wasn’t prepared for how much free time I would have. However, with that being said, managing your time is very important — Just knowing what you can and cannot handle in terms of putting too much on your plate, while also learning not to let the free time lead to you procrastinating.

What do you look forward to doing differently next academic year? Something that I look forward to doing differently my sophomore year is participating more in class. I’m the type of person that talks a lot, but I’d rather listen. These past two semesters I feel like I participated an average amount, but next year I want to get more out of my comfort zone and push myself.

What advice would you give recent high school grads who are transitioning to college this fall? I would tell them to really make the most of it. It sounds cheesy but I can’t even explain how fast this year has gone for me. It feels like yesterday I was filling out college applications. I just truly suggest to have fun and make lots of memories, but also don’t forget what you’re there for… your education. Another thing that I would advise upcoming college freshman is to go to their professors’ office hours. It may seem intimidating, but they are here to help you succeed. I can say that creating that bond with your professor for them to get to know you, can help you throughout the class

What advice would you give to rising high school seniors about the college application process? My biggest piece of advice is to be patient. It is a process that can feel so long and so tiring. Once you start to research different colleges, seeing their averages for test scores or GPA can be very daunting. I would just say don’t let that discourage you from applying to a school because honestly, you never know. Sometimes you may not have the best grades, but your extracurricular activities could make up for it. Finishing all of the college applications can be a very stressful process as well but working with Ms. Antoinette and her giving me deadlines to have certain applications due was very helpful in my experience. Regarding patience, after you submit all of your applications, you will be playing the waiting game. I actually think that this part of the application process is the worst because the mystery of not knowing what will happen can drive you crazy! You will start to see your friends getting acceptance letters which also makes it hard because you start to question where your letter is or why you haven’t gotten that email. Just be patient. It’s all a process (a long one), but in the end it will be worth it.

Antoinette Battiste is an Independent Educational Consultant and 20+ year resident of Evergreen.   She is an active volunteer with many community organizations in Silicon Valley, including Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Santa Clara County Alliance of Black Educators, Silicon Valley Black Chamber of Commerce the African American Community Services Agency, and the Northern California Association of Morehouse Parents.