By: Marisa Papagelis

Most seniors can agree that the fall of senior year is the most stressful time of their high school careers. While most seniors are struggling to balance school work and college applications, senior Lauren Carlo already has a plan.

Carlo started her college process at the end of junior year. In June, Carlo submitted an application to Nichols College in Dudley, Massachusetts. The application included her transcript and SAT and ACT scores. Carlo was interested in Nichols because both of her parents attended Nichols.

Carlo hopes to major in Human Resource Management at Nichols.

After her application was reviewed, Carlo was invited to attend an event called “LEAP Day” at the college. This event is the Leadership Early Acceptance Program, and it is for prospective students to the college. On LEAP day, Carlo had an interview with an admissions officer. This interview took the place of a college essay and letters of recommendation that most colleges require. Carlo spent the rest of the day participating in leadership activities with students like her. At the end of the day, Carlo found out that she had been accepted to Nichols College.

“LEAP day was very enjoyable, because I made new friends and found my future roommate,” Carlo says. “The most stressful part of the day was the interview, because it was really the make it or break it point of the decision process. They asked me a lot of questions such as “why Nichols?” I was really glad to get it over with.”

Even though Carlo has already been accepted to her number one school, she is still completing other applications using the Common App. All of the other schools Carlo is applying to are early action schools. Carlo hopes to be attending Nichols College next fall.