At Fort Worth Country Day, freshmen consistently hear about college from upperclassmen, advisors, and social media. Many start to create a plan for the next four years and think about which university, if any, they may want to attend. Despite being early in the college admission process, we wondered out of 89 freshmen at FWCD, how many of them already know where they want to go to college?
Some have family ties that draw them to certain schools, while others have a passion they want to pursue at an establishment of higher education. Yet, they all have a connecting factor to why and what school they wish to attend; a place that will serve them best and ultimately, foster them into the person they wish to become.
A vast majority of students mentioned colleges with strong programs where they could major in something they are passionate about. It was striking to us how many students had an idea of what they would like to achieve in life after college. These mentioned majors were closely related to their dream jobs; students wanted to study these topics not only for future financial gain, but also to explore their current interests.
“I want to go to Georgia because they have a really good fashion business program and I want to do fashion merchandising, so it’s a good pathway through there,” Emme Cate Stadler ’29 said.
Along with that, a surprising amount of students want to pursue a future in arts, whether it be visual or performing. Schools that stood out to these students were primarily located in and near New York and along the East Coast. This area of our country is recognized as the epicenter for prestigious programs within the arts.
“I want to go to Tufts in Massachusetts because they have a good acting program,” Melania Meakim ’29 said.
Other students have large goals athletically, wanting to play a sport in college. Many of these student-athletes mentioned notable Division 1 programs. In fact, many girls have dreams to play field hockey at the University of North Carolina, the University of Virginia, and Wake Forest University; these are all top 10 teams in the bracket, following the end of the 2025 season. Others have more vague ideas on where they want to continue their athletic journey.
“I just want to go somewhere where I can end up playing baseball in college,” Carrick McPadden ’29 said.
We were also surprised by how many students are interested in attending college internationally. Some have been inspired by former FWCD students that have done so, and others are simply captivated by the abroad lifestyle.
On a similar note, role models seem to play a large role in many of our decisions. Students mentioned that friends and family members have been very inspirational when it comes to college choices. Elle Dagley ’29 added that part of the reason she hopes to attend Arkansas is because her camp counselor, who attended college there, was a huge inspiration to her. Familial ties can also be the sole reason some students want to attend a certain college.
“I really want to go to UT because my father went there and I saw how it transformed him as a person,” Mitch Mitchell ’29 said. “So I think it would benefit me a lot.”
It is inevitable that many students will change their path, yet as of right now, these colleges appeal to them for a variety of reasons. No matter what their college decision becomes, we know that each student will make the choice that best suits their dreams.
We plan to circle back the spring of 2029, when each of our peers have come to a decision. We hope to draw parallels between their original ideas and final conclusions. It will be interesting to see how FWCD high school has changed us both as students and people as a whole.
See you senior year!
