While juniors and seniors are typically the most obsessed with college admissions and statistics, freshmen and sophomores are not completely oblivious to the college process.

Although freshmen – the class of 2014 – have not yet even completed a year at Staples, the thought of college is already in their minds.

“College crosses my mind day in and day out. Personally, the main reason that I have tried so hard in school is because of college,” Jack Scott ’14 said. “Every day of the school year is all for college.”

Kelly Gore ’14 finds that college is constantly on her mind, but she thinks that it should not be a driven focus at this stage.

“The thought of college kind of gets me scared, but I know that I am only a freshman and I shouldn’t be at this point,” Gore said.

Sophomores – the class of 2013 – find that they should not be thinking about college as proactively as the upperclassmen, but they tend to think about it more than the freshmen.

“I think of college as far away, but not far enough away that I don’t need to worry about it,” Brianna Reedy ’13 said. “Although I’m sure the preparation for college next year will be hell, I am looking forward to college all the same.”

Although some sophomores like Reedy look to college as an “exciting adventure,” others like Matt Kresch ’13 do not foresee it as “a clear thought.”

“When college crosses my mind, it’s like a wave of nervousness of this unknown force that comes closer to arrival each day. College is a future event that keeps nervousness inside many years prior,” Kresch said.

Because Westport is such a competitive community regarding college admissions, some underclassmen find the thought of college almost inevitably present.

“I hear people talking about the class requirements that you need to make in each department before you can graduate high school really often, which always makes me think about college,” Mikayla Doyle ’13 said.

What Sparks the Thought of College for Underclassmen?
For Kresch, another day at Staples essentially means another day of worrying about college.

“At school, I often see seniors wearing their senior sweatshirts, which make me think about college. I also hear people talking about their specialties and what they’re good at, which makes me think I might look too generic for a college,” said Kresch.

Although the competiveness in Westport may overwhelm some, others find ways to ignore it.

“I feel that if we all as individuals try our best to pursue what we want to do in our lives, we can forget about the competition and worry more about our own achievements,” Cara McNiff ’14 said.

Some underclassmen have upperclassmen siblings that are going through the college process already, so they may find that the path has been cleared for them. Scott, whose older brother is a senior, feels that he “will be better prepared for the process, due to witnessing it once before.”

Is Staples Preparing the Underclassmen Already?
Because college preparation from the Guidance Department typically does not begin for students until the end of their sophomore year, at this point, underclassmen find that there has not been much outreach for their college planning.

“I do not think Staples has done enough at this particular point, but I do know about what Staples offers, such as the College and Career Center; I just haven’t gotten to that step yet,” Scott said. “I feel like once I do reach that step, Staples will definitely do enough.

Reedy, a member of Staples Players, finds that the intensity of the extracurricular opportunities offered at Staples has makes up for the fact that she has not had much preparation for college yet.

“I have learned so much from Players,” Reedy said. “I know more about the technical aspects of theater than I ever knew was possible. I have also gotten a lot of hands-on experience in set design, stage management, and much more. I feel that being a part of Players has so much to offer and it in itself has really helped me prepare for college.”

Kresch, also a member of Players, although appreciative of the fact that it has provided him with a “notable extracurricular,” still worries about the imminence of college.

“At this point, I have virtually no knowledge of how you can tell which college is the right one, and the way that a college looks at your application seems like the secret of the century,” Kresch said.