When you enter high school, how soon do you think about the college admissions process?

For many students, the thought of even starting college applications doesn’t begin until junior year, or perhaps even the summer before senior year. However in the HGM, many students begin their preparations as early as freshman year. 

After AP exam season in early-May, there still remains about a month’s period of time until the end of the school year, and in the HGM, the students spend those last few weeks planning for college. 

For the freshmen who are taking English with Ms. Underwood, they spend a few weeks free writing on a specific object or activity that they cherish or value after narrowing down a specific item on a planned list. This ends up becoming a sort of object personal narrative short essay. Although many students often dread writing essays, this one in particular serves as a practice and rough draft for a college essay. 

In addition to that, freshmen are provided with a digital ‘Brag Sheet’ during this time as well, which not only kick-starts their process of organizing their achievements, but also assists the teachers to keep track of topics to write about in letters of recommendation. 

Sophomores Katie Hwang and Sasha Murakawa, mention that although they do not remember writing the essay, “At least we still update it [the Brag Sheet].”

The curriculum of the HGM is mapped out so that all students take English with Ms. Underwood and Ms. Gullo, switching between the two every year. This way, students are able to revisit their work with the same teacher after two years, allowing for a period of time for growth and reflection. 

At the end of sophomore year with Ms. Gullo, the students work more closely on a unit dedicated to college decisions. Specifically, they focus on beginning to understand the different factors and details that they value in colleges–such as majors, cost of admission, class sizes, and more–in order to assist in their decision making process. By the end of the year, students walk out of the class with a list of potential colleges that may suit their interests. 

“It forced me to look into colleges that I otherwise might have not looked into,” Murakawa shared.

Despite the possibility of this list changing by the time senior year comes around, at a minimum, the planning and consideration of this topic was covered. 

With all of that, many would express gratitude about the HGM’s handling of college preparation. 

Seniors Eddie Kahng and Zach Guiley recall that they drafted their personal statements in freshman year. Guiley specifically said they, “Were very useful. I tend to procrastinate a lot so it was nice to at least have something as a start.” 

Additionally, many students would say how the rigorous environment of the HGM itself feels like preparation for college. 

“The teachers, or to be more specific, Mr. Maine especially, really emulates a college professor–carefree, but make it known that you are responsible for your work and your own consequences,” stated Guiley. 

College preparation is a schoolwide initiative that is not only covered by the HGM. 

“All programs and teachers here do an amazing job at preparing students for college. It is not HGM exclusive,” shared Ms. Underwood. 

Although many would say that the HGM provides its students with boundless academic pressures, at the very least, college preparation is a part of it.