Senior Luz Centellas has known that she wanted to be a pilot since she watched the movie Catch Me If You Can, which has Leonardo Dicaprio starring as a pilot. The fact that her sister majored in aerospace engineering also helped her with her decision after being undecided for most of her life.

She applied to Embry-Riddle University which is located in Florida and Purdue University in Indiana, both of which she has been accepted to. Senior Emmanuel Kwakye-Dompreh also has the similar career in mind and has been accepted into the same university.

“[I was] extremely relieved. Embry-Riddle is my dream school, so I was happy that they accepted me and that I could stop worrying about ‘what if’s’. They are known for producing successful pilots and now I can realistically hope to be one of them,” Centellas said.

To enter the field of aeronautics, Centellas must take certain classes and attend a school with a program to set her on the right path to becoming a pilot.

Centellas is just one of many seniors who have received college acceptance letters in recent weeks.

After sending in applications in January for Regular Decision, seniors have never been so excited to receive mail.

However, these acceptances, also mean more decisions for students to make, such as which school to choose and what to major in.

“Depending on where I go, I want to want to double major in aeronautical engineering and nautical science,” Centellas said.

May 1 is college decision day, the day that seniors are need to have declared their school by. At AHS, the seniors celebrate this by wearing college apparel from the school that they have decided to attend.

Some students have been accepted to highly prestigious schools because of their hard work, and commitment to keep up their studies.

Senior Tho Tran was accept to Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT), the country’s leading university for science and technology. MIT has a very low acceptance rate compared to schools across the U.S.

“After I saw my acceptance, I screamed,” Tran said. “But I think it first came out like a quiet squeal. All the emotions, happiness, gratitude, excitement and shock, all rushed to me so quickly. It was a rare, surreal and probably most memorable moment.”

She has been hoping to get into MIT for a while, and believes the aspects of the school make it a top choice for her.

“MIT has been my dream school since the end of my freshman year. MIT student body is another reason why I want to go to MIT. I know some people who go to MIT or have gotten accepted to MIT,” Tran said. “They are simply brilliant yet humble, authentic, and down to earth. And they seem to truly enjoy what they do.”

However, some students have already made their deposit and are making plans to attend specific schools far before the May 1 deadline. One reason for this is if the school offered the student a scholarship, wither merit, financial or sport.

Senior Jenny McCann is one AHS student who has committed to colleges to play sports.

“I committed to play field hockey at The College of William and Mary last August,” McCann said. “William and Mary is a great fit for me academically and I love the campus. Plus, my mom, who played volleyball at William and Mary, is ecstatic that I chose her alma mater.”

McCann is anticipating the experience of playing field hockey for her future school and she is looking forward to meeting new coaches and teammates along the way.

“I committed to play field hockey at The College of William and Mary last August,” McCann said. “William and Mary is a great fit for me academically and I love the campus. Plus, my mom, who played volleyball at William and Mary, is ecstatic that I chose her alma mater.”

McCann is anticipating the experience of playing field hockey for her future school and she is looking forward to meeting new coaches and teammates along the way.

“Although I was considering other schools, I decided on W&M because it has a competitive [field] hockey program which will allow me to grow as a player and a student.  The coaches and players are a lot of fun and work hard so that the team achieves success,” McCann.

McCann has not yet decided on her major, however, she does have some ideas.

“I haven’t come to a final decision on what I’m going to study, but I plan on majoring in sociology with a minor in teaching English as a second language,” McCann said.  “While in college, I’ll be pretty busy balancing class and hockey but I hope to join the Fellowship of Christian Athletes on campus and take a yoga class.”

Others have already had a school in mind and got in, therefore they are taking the opportunity to start early with the process of getting ready to attend their college.

Several seniors have a college in mind, however not all of them finished sending on letters to inform the student if they were accepted or not. There are a few students who are taking a different route after college and are joining the air force of the military.

College is usually the conventional path after graduating high school, but there are many options out there to seniors who may not feel like a formal education suits the path they want to take for the future.

There are jobs available that do not need for the employee to attend a formal school because there are jobs best suited being learned hands on.

Also, there are options for technical schools that specialize in careers such an plumbing, or electrical training that will put students in the right path to becoming successful in their line of work.

The career center is one of their first places a student can go to get more information about reasonable options they have. There is also staff there like Career Specialist Robin Roth, who are there to answer the questions about college and how to make sure you’re on the right track.

The Career Center is helpful because there are books with a lot of information about different colleges  and universities around the nation. There are also computers there for seniors to apply to scholarships that will need an online application.

Students can also talk to their counselors about what they need to be prepared for life after graduation. Counselors can give students recommendations for scholarships as well.

NOVA placements tests have occurred already and it will put seniors who are planning to stay in the northern part of Virginia on the road to attend NOVA.

Placement tests are given though the school to give students an opportunity to to see what classes they will have to take to get enough credits.

Many students who attend NOVA have already thought about joining the program so they can then after two years attend a conventional college.

Whether students choose to continue a higher level of education or begin to work, seniors are excited about the opportunities they will hope to encounter after graduation.