While senior year in high school is a time to have fun, look back on memories and celebrate graduation, it also comes with important decisions. For many students in Goshen, this includes where to attend college next year.
Goshen High School’s guidance department held its first ever Instant Decision Day in 2024, an event organized to help students accomplish one of the most nerve-racking steps of the college application process: getting accepted.
Representatives from 16 colleges and universities came to Goshen between November 18 and 22 to meet with students in one-on-one interviews, review their transcript, and give them a decision on whether or not they are accepted on the spot. Because this was the first event of its kind in Goshen, the high school’s guidance department organized the event so that students had information before their meetings, along with time to decide where to go. Missi Holland, Guidance Counselor at GHS, was part of the team that prepared students for their meetings.
“We put together an information booklet of all the schools with some basic admissions information: how many students are at the school, where it’s located, the average accepted GPA and the overall acceptance rate,” Holland said. “Then students choose which school they might want to apply to.”
Instant Decision Day reduced the amount of time students needed to wait to hear back from a school, and allowed students to sign up for meetings up until a few days before the representatives were in Goshen. As if that isn’t enough of a convenience, the schools provided fee waivers so it was free to apply, Holland said. “Some students even got awarded scholarship money on the spot.”
Following the success of this year’s Instant Decision Day, Goshen’s guidance department have already set the goal of increasing turnout among students and colleges in the future. “Whether it’s a school you think you want to go to or not, it’s a wonderful feeling for students to know ‘I got in somewhere,’” Holland shared. “It lets students be able to take a deep breath. It also provides access and offers opportunities for ALL students to apply to college. It really is a win, win! A big shout out to Mrs. O’Brien, guidance department secretary, who was instrumental in organizing the event!”
Instant Decision Day Acceptances
Dominican University: Kalya Blough, Jamila Fierros, Alexandra Fife, John Higgins
Hudson Valley Community College: Jasmin Fierros
Iona University: Lefa Brown, Richard Kennedy
Lincoln Tech: Alexander Ayala, Anthony Carr, John Grimes, Ronin Rooks
Manhattan University: Kayla Blough, Mackenzie Cipriani, Alexandra Fife, Richard Kennedy, Benicio Vanichpong-Barbosa
Mercy University: Evelyn Aguilar, Kayla Blough, Tristan Brown, Alexandra Fife, Luserena Jimenes Luna, Mariana Jimenes Luna
Mount St. Mary College: Lefa Brown, Mia Caraballo, Kaydian Kerr
Quinnipiac University: Lefa Brown, Rylee Ferrara, Amelie McDonnell, Anthoula Pavlidas, Benicio Vanichpong-Barbosa
Ramapo College: Tristan Brown, Rylee Ferrara, Karol Moya
St. Thomas Aquinas College: Kayla Blough, Tristan Brown, Amelie McDonnell
SUNY Orange: Evelyn Aguilar, Karley Davila, Cash Muller, Matthew Muniz, Olivia Pogon, Madison Pilios
University of New Haven: Kayla Blough, Mia Caraballo, Isabella Crispino