Senior year fraught with anticipation

Senior year. Two words that elicit various emotions from different students. To some, these words deliver feelings of extreme jubilance, freedom, or even relief. The Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway (HAFTR) High School days of exams, reports, projects and work will soon all be part of history, recorded and saved in students’ transcripts and permanent records. Never again will they be high school seniors.

Never again will they return to the familiar halls of HAFTR as students; of course, many students come back to visit their favorite teachers and administrators. To others, the end of high school brings feelings of nostalgia. Questions such as, “How is high school over already?” or “Where did the past three years go,?” can commonly be heard in the hallways. All seniors know that despite their efforts, retreating to the past is impossible. It is now time to prepare for the next step: college.

The doors of HAFTR’s College Guidance office have been constantly revolving with students seeking advice from college advisors, Joan Parmet (director), Karen Wolf (associate director), Susan Szaluta (college guidance counselor), Arlette Miller (administrative assistant) and Tova Werner (counseling intern).

So far, seniors have been visited by college admission representatives from Binghamton University, Boston University, Brandeis University, Columbia University, John Jay, New York University, Pace University, The Cooper Union, University of Maryland, and University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Upcoming college visits include Adelphi University, Barnard College, Hofstra University, New York Institute of Technology, Stony Brook, Touro College/Lander, and Yeshiva University.

The college application process has been stressful, nerve-racking, and exciting, according to seniors, many of whom are now busy writing college essays and preparing college applications. “It’s hard to squeeze the past four years into 650 words,” said senior Danielle Kramer. “The college I choose will make me who I become,” said Tamara Heller. “It’s almost unreal.”