Lauren Naylor Lauren has been involved in varsity track, Tae Kwon Doe, and symphonic, pep, and jazz band. Next year she will be attending Drake University, where she plans on majoring in Trumpet Performance. In one sentence, how would you describe the college application process? It’s basically filling out your name and general information over and over again and figuring out how many times you can submit the same essay. What has been the most difficult and easiest aspects of the college application process? The most difficult part was writing several essays at the same time and having to edit them over and over again. Usually I’m pretty lazy about editing my writing, but I figured these really mattered and they should be as good as I could make them. The easiest part for me was deciding where to apply; I knew I wanted to get out of Ames but stay somewhat close to home. What were the biggest factors in making your decision on which school to choose? One of the most important things for me was how well I worked with the trumpet professor there. I also want to continue studying Spanish so I looked at how that program was set up; Drake’s Spanish classes are much more focused on conversation and speaking fluency, which is how I’d rather learn. The colleges I was considering were all about the same cost, so money wasn’t really a big factor for me. What advice do you have for underclassmen and juniors? Try not to procrastinate. You don’t really have to start thinking about college until the end of your junior year, but once you start filling out applications around the beginning of your senior year, don’t let it build up so you end up stressing out over winter break. The more time you give yourself, the less painful it will be. Ujjal Bhattacharya Ujjal has been involved in cross country, pokemon club, drumline, full orchestra, and jazz and symphonic band. He will be attending Carnegie Mellon University next year, where he plans on double majoring in music and either math or computer science. In one sentence, how would you describe the college application process? Very, very long. What has been the most difficult and easiest aspects of the college application process? The easiest part was plugging in all of my information to the Common App. It uses the least amount of brainpower by far. The hardest and most stressful part was auditioning. I ended up having five auditions in five and a half weeks. Auditions are on-campus, so I had to miss a lot of school. On top of that, I got the flu on the last week of my auditions. Not only did I have to stress out about presenting myself well for all of the judges, but I had to worry about a mountain of make-up work to do. What were the biggest factors in making your decision on which school to choose? The big points I looked at were the percussion/music program, the financial aid opportunities, the academic quality of the school, and the campus. What advice do you have for underclassmen and juniors? Apply for outside scholarships or get a job. College is getting crazy expensive. It might seem really far away right now, but it kind of sneaks up on you. Tripti Upreti Tripti has been involved in mock trial, debate, SHEPH, Fashion Show, Key Club, TAG, Destination Imagination, National History Day, and Fiber Club. Next year she plans on attending Iowa State University, where she will major in engineering. In one sentence, how would you describe the college application process? Don’t judge a book by its cover because the college application process can be really stressful! What has been the most difficult and easiest aspects of the college application process? The most difficult part was making sure I didn’t miss any deadlines, and the easiest part was deciding where to go. What were the biggest factors in making your decision on which school to choose? The factors I considered when deciding were the financial price, proximity to my family, and engineering programs at the school. 7. What advice do you have for underclassmen and juniors? Never procrastinate!