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Real Talk with Gen Z: What Today’s Students Actually Want from Colleges – Romy
10 Plays17 days ago
In this episode, Tracey sits down with her 17-year-old niece Romy, a rising senior deep in the college search process. From TikTok dorm tours to admissions anxiety, Romy offers a refreshingly honest Gen Z perspective on what matters (and what doesn’t) when evaluating colleges. If you work in higher ed—or just want to understand how this generation thinks—you’ll want to hear this.
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Transcript
Intro
Introduction to Gen Z College Choices
00:00:07
Tracey Halvorsen
Hello, everybody. Thanks for joining us for another episode of Escape Velocity. i am chatting with Romy today. We are going to really go straight to the source of truth on what Gen Z is really thinking about, what they like, what they don't like, at least from Romy's perspective today, and try to get a little bit of a better insight about how this generation thinks, what matters to them, and in particular, how they are evaluating their choices when they're looking at college.
00:00:38
Tracey Halvorsen
So welcome, Romy. Thank you for joining us.
Romy's Academic Interests and Influences
00:00:42
Romy Johnson
Yes, of course.
00:00:44
Tracey Halvorsen
um Why don't you just, I mean, full disc full disclosure, you're my niece, so you were easy access. um But why don't you tell everybody a little bit about yourself?
00:00:56
Romy Johnson
Okay. I'm a current high school junior. um i play soccer and I run track. And I think like in school, some of my interests are more like English, history, humanities, which I think is just like a little bit niche, maybe about my college process, because I want to like pursue like the historical education a little bit more than maybe like science or business economics or anything like that.
00:01:20
Romy Johnson
um I do some volunteering around the town. i'm in like a comm community service program that goes to the different middle schools and educates them on like drugs and alcohol and just different things like that.
00:01:32
Romy Johnson
And yeah.
00:01:34
Tracey Halvorsen
All right. Awesome. Well, thank you again. And I'm just going to pepper you with questions. So brace yourself. um Let's start off with a couple rapid fire. Just tell me either or um when you're thinking about schools and and researching them.
00:01:51
Romy Johnson
Mm-hmm.
00:01:51
Tracey Halvorsen
um Dorm tour on TikTok or campus visit in real life?
00:01:57
Romy Johnson
I think it depends. It depends on the location, I guess. I think some campuses are hard to get to, but I also think that social media can definitely like glamorize or like have the opposite effect on some schools. I know definitely like if I'm thinking about a school, I will search it up on TikTok or something and like see what people are posting about it, see if they like romanticize the campus and stuff.
00:02:19
Romy Johnson
But I think ah being in person is really important too, because like getting that like real view crucial.
00:02:25
Tracey Halvorsen
Yeah.
Evaluating College Selection Criteria
00:02:27
Tracey Halvorsen
So for you, um rankings or real talk?
00:02:32
Romy Johnson
It's hard because high school, everyone is so like set on like percentages like, oh, this school has this acceptance rate. This was this acceptance rate. This school is ranked at this level. But I think there's also like the certain level of, yeah, this school is ranked at this mark. But like what I've heard or what I know, people who go there are like, oh, like the all the money goes to the grad students or like the facilities are poor.
00:02:58
Romy Johnson
or things like that. So I think maybe more like my major wise or what I'm interested wise, i think I care about rankings a little bit more and like how it's ranked in terms of that. But I also think like word of mouth is pretty important on what people are saying about the school.
00:03:15
Tracey Halvorsen
Awesome. um Common App Essay or video application?
Application Preferences and College Life Balance
00:03:20
Romy Johnson
Definitely common app essay. I didn't actually know video application was even an option. i've I've never heard of that or I don't know anyone who's done that. I know you can like submit supplemental things. Like for music, I was looking into like maybe submitting like a video of me playing the trumpet to some schools, but I didn't know you could like submit a video. I've definitely only heard of people doing the essay.
00:03:43
Tracey Halvorsen
academic rigor or life balance.
00:03:46
Romy Johnson
both I both. And that's like a big ask because obviously like there's going to be some more than others, but I definitely think academic rigor is just really important to me personally, but I also know that I worked like hard in high school and I kind of want to like be able to live more of a life on top of gaining a good education in college. But yeah, I think I want like a well-rounded education though too. So if I had to choose, I would definitely pick like good education over like life balance.
00:04:15
Tracey Halvorsen
cool um Let's see you in particular are looking for more of a big urban campus than a small rural setting.
Campus Preferences and Research Process
00:04:24
Tracey Halvorsen
Is that accurate?
00:04:26
Romy Johnson
Yeah, I would say overall, I like the bigger campus vibe. I like like the community it brings more, like how like everyone seems more like centered around the school.
00:04:37
Romy Johnson
Where the small schools, they still have a community, but it just seems a little bit more tight-knit and maybe not as like, expansive. um But I think it also just depends on the school. Like there have been some small schools that I go to and I'm like, this is so nice. And like, seems i would like going here too. i think it's like, not, not a deal breaker, but I definitely do tend to lean towards the bigger schools.
00:04:58
Tracey Halvorsen
Yeah, all right. um When you first are interested and curious about a college, what did you do? I mean, I know you've already kind of you know you've been well underway in your search. You spent a good amount of your junior year um looking at schools, visiting schools. But if some school gets on your radar, what do you do first?
00:05:20
Romy Johnson
Um, I think, well, first thing I do is kind of ask around about it. Like if I'm thinking about a school, I'll like talk to my friends, be like, has anyone heard of this school? Or like talk to maybe like some of the seniors at my school that I'm friends with. Like I ask them like, oh, did you apply here? Like, what have you heard about this school? And then I think I just, my next step is honestly, i hear about a school and the first thing I do is I Google their acceptance rate because I think that And I think like that a lot of people do that. Like, I think that's a pretty common thing. Like the first thing people do is just Google like their acceptance rate. Cause I think that's like a, not totally accurate, but like sometimes good measure of like the, the rigor of the school or at least in the application process.
00:05:59
Romy Johnson
um And then from there, if I like still really like it, I'll look on their website and see if they have like virtual tours. I've done like a few of those on zoom and stuff. um And then, yeah And then I go from there. I look it up on like social media and stuff like that.
00:06:12
Tracey Halvorsen
So you're looking for a a certain kind of competitive school. you want You're looking for it to be you know a tougher school to get into, but not impossible, I would imagine.
00:06:23
Romy Johnson
Yeah, I also think like looking up like the acceptance rate is more just like a immediate like could I get in here or like especially if I'm starting to like the school I think it's like just something like everyone does our school has like a link to like a website I can't remember the name of it but it's it shows you like the school's acceptance rate and then like their average like s SAT t scores and like kind of where your like range of like GPA needs to be to like fall into like their midi middle like 50 percentile and stuff like that
00:06:54
Tracey Halvorsen
All right. So once you determine that it's a school you could get into and you you've might go to the website and see if there's a virtual tour, I'm curious if there have been any schools that just like got on your radar because they sent you something cool or they caught your attention and maybe you hadn't heard about them from your friends, your guidance counselor or anything like that.
Impact of Personal Connections and Community
00:07:17
Tracey Halvorsen
Do you remember any of any schools doing anything like that?
00:07:21
Romy Johnson
um Yeah, there's two examples that I can think of for that. One is Vanderbilt. I got like a letter in the mail from them, like just like ah one of those little postcards that are like, hello, Romy. Like they're like, it's like, oh, it's personalized.
00:07:34
Romy Johnson
um And then I like from there, there was like a scan. I think there's like a scan QR code or something of that. Manner like saying like take our virtual tour and I was like, Oh, like I kind of even know virtual tours were a thing because I've only ever been in person before that.
00:07:47
Romy Johnson
So I was like, Okay, I'll try a virtual tour. So then I just like did the virtual tour. was like, Oh, this school seems so nice. And then I started asking people about it. And like, I know a girl who's going there now. But I think that was one that like, I just didn't really know about until like, I started like looking it up.
00:08:01
Romy Johnson
And another school, this is like kind of a different situation. But um St. Lawrence was at my school's club fair. And I like went up to the guy and I was like, okay, if I'm being honest, like I've never heard of this school before. I know nothing about it, but I just want like, just give me your pitch. Like, what do you like about this school?
00:08:17
Romy Johnson
And he just he was in love with the school. Like you could just tell he he had just graduated. was like, this was like his first year out of the school. And so he was like raving about it and just telling me about all the fun things. And I was like I've never heard of this school in my life. And like, now I want to go here with you. Like, it seems so fun.
00:08:32
Tracey Halvorsen
That's awesome. So the enthusiasm and and it sounds like the personalization and kind of the quick and easy access to check out something that you weren't really aware of with Vanderbilt got your attention.
00:08:44
Romy Johnson
Yeah, totally. I think the enthusiasm is so important. Like, when I see people who are excited to, like, are excited to tell you about the school, I think that's just so awesome. Like, I went, I don't know if I should, like, name drop the school, but um I went on a tour with, like, my friend's older sister went to the school, and I, like, toured the school, and then i met up with my friend's older sister, and her friends were like, yeah, you can go here if you want, but, like,
00:09:05
Tracey Halvorsen
Thank you.
00:09:09
Romy Johnson
we don't really know like if you really like the school but like sometimes we don't like it and i was like okay so this one is off my list um because i just think like i love when people themselves are in love with school and like when people when the like presenters or anything is talking about it they're just raving about the school it just out of like pure like love for the community i think that's so awesome
00:09:32
Tracey Halvorsen
Yeah. Well, how important is community to you and feeling like you're part of a a community wherever you go?
00:09:39
Romy Johnson
I think, okay, so at like the camp I work at, it's a Quaker camp, right? And so they follow like the spices, which is like simplicity, peace, community, equality, stewardship, and integrity or whatever.
00:09:51
Romy Johnson
um And I always like talked about community being my favorite one because I just think like having a sense of community wherever you go is so important. Like I feel like I have a really good one in the school I'm like at my high school now.
00:10:04
Romy Johnson
And just think like building and growing that community is like probably one of the most important aspects of college, too. I think like the connections you make and like the opportunities you're given because of like this, like centered group of people, all with like the common goal to just help you succeed is like what I'm definitely most like forward and looking for at a school.
00:10:26
Tracey Halvorsen
How much do you think about you're the job you're going to get, you know the how this is going to shape your future in terms of your career possibilities or even direction? How much is that on your mind?
00:10:40
Romy Johnson
Honestly, I think that my goal right now is just to get into a school that will that I know like has the repertoire or like has the capability to push me into a career I want to do. i wouldn't say I'm like super concerned about the career itself because I also like I know I want to go to potentially like maybe law school after college. So I think like that's a pretty like direct track. But I think.
00:11:04
Romy Johnson
Definitely, it's a thought for sure. And I think that's another thing about maybe like those bigger schools is like I know they have a wider network um of like opportunity post grad.
00:11:15
Romy Johnson
So I think it's like definitely something on the back of my mind. But I'm also i think right now I'm focused on just getting into the school and like gaining the education first.
00:11:22
Tracey Halvorsen
ah Right. um I think one of the things that's ah freaking out a lot of um schools right now is that they realize that the way we search for information and find information is changing so much with
Technology and Marketing in College Search
00:11:38
Tracey Halvorsen
ChatGPT and AI and all of these third party platforms that are kind of serving you up like what might be a good fit. So it's lot harder for them to connect or know if they're if you're even going to their website.
00:11:52
Romy Johnson
Yeah.
00:11:52
Tracey Halvorsen
um Have you ever used ChatGPT to help you with your college search?
00:11:58
Romy Johnson
no but i definitely think i'm not as advid of a chat gbt user as a lot of people i know me personally i haven't but like i a lot of people i know have or just just because it's such like and ah quick and easy way it's like a almost like those google summaries that like i've started getting at the top of like the google search that like kind of give you like what you want immediately i and that must be like another ai thing i don't know like Apple meta or something.
00:12:23
Romy Johnson
But I think it's just like everything like that. It just gives you the information so quickly. And I think like a lot of people use chat GPT is that way to just like get information immediately.
00:12:31
Tracey Halvorsen
Yeah, get answers to their questions. No, no fluff.
00:12:35
Romy Johnson
Yeah.
00:12:36
Tracey Halvorsen
um How much do you feel like a lot of what you get is like marketing speak? And it's just like, but how's your how do you react to that?
00:12:47
Romy Johnson
The most like marketing heavy things that I get are like those like summer program things, which I like those when I get them, it kind of makes me like angry at the school because it's like they're trying to make me pay like $10,000 to like do like a summer program. And I think those always kind of like throw me off a little bit in terms of like they're like the marketing scheme almost.
00:13:09
Tracey Halvorsen
Yeah.
00:13:11
Romy Johnson
And I think like some of the like papers I get like high the school high point has sent me maybe like 30 different like brochures like in the span of like a month and being like come get a tour come they text me which in fairness i visited the guy at the club fair and i guess he got my information from there but but i think that's just like a little bit too much of like a push almost to like of marketing.
00:13:35
Romy Johnson
I don't like i don't know.
00:13:37
Tracey Halvorsen
yeah
00:13:38
Romy Johnson
I think the club fair is definitely like the only time where I was like, this isn't a marketing scheme. like um But it's also because it's so face to face and personal. I think like the big thing is like just getting those like randomized like letters in the mail as opposed to like talking to someone from the school.
00:13:53
Tracey Halvorsen
Yeah, you get a lot of stuff in the mail. um How much does it all blend together?
00:14:01
Romy Johnson
A lot. I keep everything I get in the mail just because i think it's fun. I have like a huge folder of like every like item of mail I've gotten from a college. um But it's it's definitely all the same.
00:14:15
Romy Johnson
Like it it feels no different. I'm getting ones from colleges and and like I don't even know. I probably got like five yesterday and i I can't even tell you the names of the schools because they just they all look the same.
00:14:27
Tracey Halvorsen
Have you gotten anything that really stood out to you besides the Vanderbilt ah personalized postcard with the QR code for the virtual tour?
00:14:38
Romy Johnson
Yeah, I don't really think so. I think, like, sometimes I'll get a piece of mail from a school i was already interested in, and I'll be like, oh, like, that's awesome. Like, they're, I don't know.
00:14:51
Romy Johnson
Like, I got mail from them, and I want to go there. Like, that's cool. um And I think sometimes I'll get mail. I'll always, like, search up the college after I get the mail. But again, like, I i get, like, a piece of mail, and it's, like, has the college's name, and I just search up the college's name, acceptance rate. And then I, like, ask my parents, like,
00:15:07
Romy Johnson
what they have heard about the school or anything, what they think about it. um And then it kind of goes like the yes or no pile. like I think about it more, I don't.
00:15:16
Tracey Halvorsen
How much um do you and your friends kind of talk about the financial aspect of college um just because it's like so expensive and are people freaked out about, you know, spending that much money or taking out loans or
Financial Considerations and Policy Discussions
00:15:33
Tracey Halvorsen
kind of, you know?
00:15:35
Romy Johnson
Yeah, we actually we talk about it decent amount. Like it's definitely a topic of conversation. Like sometimes it'll just be like kind of like silly things. Like they'll just be like, sorry, like i don't want I don't know how I'm goingnna pay for college or like can't like buy this boba tea. Like I have to save for college or stuff like that. And also like obviously Princeton is like a pretty like nice town. So it's like.
00:15:58
Romy Johnson
a lot of the kids here are like have college covered for them, which is really nice. But I think it's definitely like a topic of conversation. Me and my friends actually, sometimes it becomes like a fight, which might be bad, but like some people just don't really like understand like that it can be hard for others to pay for college. And then like some of my friends are kind of just like,
00:16:18
Romy Johnson
Not sure, but it's definitely something that a lot of people think about. A few of my friends, too, are like um not citizens of the U.S. or like they have a dual citizenship or stuff like that. And so they're talking about like how they kind of rather go to like their country to get a college education because it's so much cheaper and how their parents are kind of pushing for them to do that.
00:16:36
Tracey Halvorsen
Yeah. Is ah is it a topic of discussion at all with you and your friends about how the current um administration in this country is going after higher education and?
00:16:52
Romy Johnson
yeah me my friends are talking about this today actually um we were like okay yeah so we we had a pool out it we like had a free class so we went to my friend's pool and we were actually talking about this because we were talking about like the whole like harvard situation and how they like took their like international students visas and we were just talking about like how like crazy. Honestly, it became a debate because one of my friends like, well, she thought it was kind of like selfish of Harvard to like not not agree like Columbia did because in that way, like
00:17:26
Romy Johnson
then all the international students suffered because like Harvard didn't agree. But then we like talked about the fact that like, but the freedom of like education and like no limit on education is like more important than um like, I don't know, complying to like these new like rulings. But yeah, it's, we talk about it all the time. We actually had like a friendly fire about it today.
00:17:50
Tracey Halvorsen
ah That's great. um I love hearing that. ah I mean, obviously, what a lot of ah what's happening right now is a lot of backlash on DEI initiatives, right, and really wanting to do away with that and and doing away with it.
00:18:06
Tracey Halvorsen
How do you guys talk about that at all?
00:18:09
Romy Johnson
Yeah, we do, but I think like just in our like immediate circle of life like currently, it's the like initiative to like remove it, hast I haven't seen like really any of the effects of it.
00:18:23
Romy Johnson
like when I'm like filling out the application to like
00:18:23
Tracey Halvorsen
All right.
00:18:27
Romy Johnson
sign up for the SAT, t it still asks me like my like race and like all these questions. And obviously I don't really know what like DEI protocols like limit as far as like those questions, but like applying for like peer group, it was like, what's a time that like I forget the exact question, but it was something about like race. Like it was like a DEI kind of like form question.
00:18:48
Romy Johnson
um And so like me and my friends were like, we talk about it, but it's it hasn't really affected us like personally, I would say, especially too, because we're not in like the job world yet. And so I think that's like where it comes into like play more, I guess.
00:18:57
Tracey Halvorsen
Yeah.
00:19:03
Tracey Halvorsen
That's great. um All right.
Social Media's Role in College Exploration
00:19:04
Tracey Halvorsen
We touched on TikTok. I know you're a big TikTok fan because I was with you um and your sister when TikTok was about to maybe go away and then came back.
00:19:15
Tracey Halvorsen
um Do you find TikTok to be a more interesting place to explore when you're looking for kind of like what students are posting or is it Instagram or is it both?
00:19:26
Romy Johnson
um i would say definitely look at tiktok if i want to see like videos of like people's dorms and stuff like i think tiktok is just more videos instagram you like can't search up really specific stuff but tiktok like you can actually search up specific stuff into like give you exactly what you're looking for.
00:19:43
Romy Johnson
But then on Instagram, I follow more of like the college's like official accounts. Like I follow, like some of the schools I really like, like I follow their, like I follow their girls soccer teams or like I follow like their like just admissions like page, I guess.
00:19:57
Romy Johnson
um And that's, but that's more like official information. If I want like day in my life at so-and-so school, I'll like search it up on TikTok and be like dorms or stuff like that.
00:20:08
Tracey Halvorsen
What do you think that ah colleges are just missing the boat on? Like, what are they not doing that you and all your friends are are wanting more of?
00:20:19
Tracey Halvorsen
Is there, you know, besides kind of like all the ah the sameness, the bland the blanding of them all together?
00:20:25
Romy Johnson
Yeah.
00:20:30
Romy Johnson
Hmm.
00:20:32
Romy Johnson
I feel like what everyone just wants to see more of is like connection. Like I think like and this kind of goes with the blandness, but like I'm seeing all these like staged photos of like students like laughing in a courtyard, like, and they're all like different like people. Like they just, it's so like clearly like staged and like artificial. And it kind of makes you just feel like you're not really like seeing, oh, hello.
00:20:58
Romy Johnson
You're counseling for today. LSU.
00:21:02
Tracey Halvorsen
all right
00:21:04
Romy Johnson
um But it kind of makes me feel like maybe some of it is like artificial. And so I think like it just needs more like organic, like ah media or organic, like ads. I don't know. i just think a lot of it seems like fake or forced.
00:21:21
Tracey Halvorsen
do you feel like you wish you were hearing more straight from students like it's it's a selfie and then a quote about like their favorite place to study on campus or their favorite class or something funny or their favorite club like do you wish it was more straight from them and less through the gloss of you know
00:21:46
Romy Johnson
Yeah, I definitely think that's that would be helpful because, like, I don't know, you're reading all those, like, brochures that they give you kind of maybe at, like, an info session before a tour and stuff, and you're, like, reading about all the statistics, and obviously those are important, and, like, I want to read those, but I also want to, like, find out, like, what, yeah, like, what's their favorite coffee shop? Like, what's, like, what do they like to do in their free time?
00:22:10
Romy Johnson
And, like, that's what was so fun about, like, getting to visit, like, my sister like Claire at her school is because I got to like talk to all of her friends and like find out what they like to do and like what they like do for fun or where they go to study like what's her favorite study spot on campus and that's just like fun and like personalized I don't know and like it makes me feel like okay when I go here i could like find my favorites and like find what I like.
00:22:36
Tracey Halvorsen
Right. Now, Claire is at William & Mary, and you visited there and obviously had that experience, but you're not that's not where you hope to go as well. I mean, and of course, obviously, like I get that um on the family relation level of like going where your sister goes.
00:22:56
Tracey Halvorsen
But were you able to get that kind of experience when you visited the schools that are at the top of your list and kind of like in that, or was it ah just a general tour kind of experience?
00:23:09
Romy Johnson
I mean, ah yeah i it was just a general tour for most of them. Like I said, like if I knew someone who went there and I was like good friends with them, I would reach out and like they would show me their dorm or stuff like that.
00:23:20
Romy Johnson
um But for most of the other schools I like saw, it was kind of just a general tour, but The thing is, like, feel like your tour guide is almost like what my sister like could have been for me. Like some of the schools I really liked, like it was like partly because of how good the tour guide was. Like, because if your tour guide is like telling you about what they love about the school, then it just it just feels the same. Like it's so like personalized, like my tour guide at UVA.
00:23:45
Romy Johnson
was so good. Like he was so well spoken and just so clearly like loved the school and like love to be a part of it. And I think that like just made me like the school more because of like how much he loved it.
00:23:56
Tracey Halvorsen
Yeah. So if you were looking at a school that you really liked and you met someone like an admissions counselor or a student there who is like, you know, working for admissions, and would you want to be able to like text students or like text directly to like another you know, like a player on the soccer team or like ask questions directly to students who are there? Is that something that would that you would do or would you be like, I'm not texting this stranger?
00:24:28
Romy Johnson
I think that maybe if it was a school, I feel like that would be more something that I would be interested in, like, after I, like, got into the school, maybe, because, like, then I think I would have more, like, specified questions, like, knowing that I was, like, going there.
00:24:45
Romy Johnson
But I think, like, in the, like, application, there's, like... 20 different schools that I like, like, I, and I think that would be overwhelming to like try and text to everyone about it. But I think an admissions officer is a little bit different because I think that's like the most important part to me right now is like, what can I do to like get in? You know what I mean? Like,
00:25:08
Romy Johnson
It's like less about like, I need to know everything about the school, but like I would, it would be fun to text someone to be like, Oh, what have you seen that? Like you liked on these applications or like, obviously i don't know if they can answer that, but.
00:25:19
Tracey Halvorsen
Do um have any schools shared like, hey, here's like our favorite essay of last year or here here are some standouts you know from the past that
00:25:31
Romy Johnson
On social media, some people post like they're like, i got into Harvard, Princeton and Yale. Here's my common app essay and then like post it. And so like I'm i'm always reading those and like seeing what they did.
00:25:44
Romy Johnson
um But I think not really again at the club fair. And I thought this was bold. Honestly, i i was like kind of like towing the line of like, should you like ask straight up? Like, what do I need to do to get in here?
00:25:58
Romy Johnson
because and I didn't know if that was rude I don't know. But like some of my friends were way more bold and would just go up and be like, OK, so like the application process and they would ask. And the person was always really like receptive in their answer. And I like learned some good information about like what they want to see.
00:26:15
Romy Johnson
um And I know, too, i was like interested in like test policies specifically at Yale and me and my mom found like this podcast that we like listened to for a while about like their different like forms of testing, like their test flexibility and like what you should submit, what you shouldn't submit. And I thought that was really helpful to it is just two people like admissions officers just talking about like what they thought and like what they see.
00:26:39
Tracey Halvorsen
it's um It's going to be really interesting once you go through the process and find out where you're go you know where you can go and then how you're going to make your decision.
00:26:50
Romy Johnson
Yeah,
00:26:51
Tracey Halvorsen
um We'll have to have another conversation when you're in the midst of that.
00:26:54
Romy Johnson
yeah.
00:26:54
Tracey Halvorsen
Find out how stressed out you are.
00:26:54
Romy Johnson
yeah
00:26:57
Tracey Halvorsen
um How stressful is it in general, just this whole process?
00:27:01
Romy Johnson
I think it is so stressful. if my If I'm being honest, like, and I think that is definitely also a shared experience among my friends.
00:27:12
Romy Johnson
Like, but we sometimes will, like, go to lunch and someone will bring up a college and we'll be like, okay, this conversation has to change. Like, this is, we can't talk about this anymore. And I think that's also because it's, like, our junior year, so everything we do feels like it has a lot more weight, like, with, like, testing, like, APs and, like,
00:27:28
Romy Johnson
your grades and stuff. So all that just feels like so accumulative this year almost. um And so I think like it's definitely very stressful, especially because i know like application rates like have been rising.
00:27:35
Tracey Halvorsen
yeah Yeah, it's, so it's gotta be so stressful.
00:27:43
Romy Johnson
i don't know if it's my year that it's like the highest or it's last year was the highest. But I know like there was like a large amount of like kids my year applying to college, like larger than ever before.
00:27:59
Tracey Halvorsen
Do you feel like any schools are are extra helpful in in acknowledging that stress? Is that something you wish they kind of acknowledged little bit more from your perspective?
00:28:12
Romy Johnson
Honestly, yeah. So I did this like admitted or not admitted. i did this like alumni students day where like at my parents school, Lafayette, um and I went and they like had read these mock applications and we like decided who got in, who got like deferred and who got rejected or something.
00:28:32
Tracey Halvorsen
wow
00:28:33
Romy Johnson
And like going through that process, honestly, I think it it helped me because like obviously like i was still like rejecting people. But I think like you could also see like the logic behind it of like, yeah, like this person got like ah B their freshman year, but like they've shown a lot of like gradual growth and improvement. And I think like that is like a little bit comforting to know that like and they understand that like you're human. And I think like I didn't really think that before I was kind of like imagining like these admissions people were just kind of like robots, like assuming that you had to be perfect. and
00:29:07
Romy Johnson
And I think another thing is I kind of get annoyed when schools like don't really recognize their own competitiveness, which maybe this is just a me thing. But like when I'm like listening to these schools like talk about like, oh yeah, like just apply like and And I know their acceptance rate is 5%. I'm like, okay, but like, it's not like me applying is the issue. It's like, i know like maybe like my stats aren't like good enough to get in. So I think like that in that way, they're almost like discrediting the stress I feel because they're like, oh yeah, just apply, like come to school. And I'm like, okay, but would you take me like,
00:29:49
Tracey Halvorsen
Right, right. So that's interesting. um That's got to be so hard. It's been a while since I experienced all of that.
00:30:00
Tracey Halvorsen
um Do you feel like the process that you're having to go through is are Are there some schools that have made it easier or seem less daunting and more, more i don't know, like...
00:30:19
Tracey Halvorsen
Are you like, well, they're really making it like i understand they're communicating with me in a way that I like and and they wouldn't necessarily have been on my list. But I know it's going to be like low stress to apply. i really like the school.
00:30:34
Tracey Halvorsen
And so maybe it's not even a safety school. Maybe it's just an outlier. But you're like, yeah, I'm probably going to apply there because they've just really made it clear and made me feel welcome. And I'm not stressed about it.
00:30:45
Romy Johnson
Yeah, I have a few schools that i like are on my list right now that I think are pretty like outliers compared to like the main ones that I like. um And I think that's more just because I like the school.
00:30:56
Romy Johnson
I wouldn't say the application process seems any less stressful because it's like all through like the common application. So it's like the same essay kind of goes to everyone. I know a few schools have like exceptions, and like I think that would probably make me like less inclined to apply to them.
00:31:11
Romy Johnson
um But like for the most part, I don't think I think about like the application stress when it comes to a school. But like there are definitely some that have just like seem more welcoming in general that have kind of made me like want to apply there.
00:31:26
Tracey Halvorsen
um Let me think here. I want to make sure I get some of my other questions.
00:31:32
Tracey Halvorsen
I mean, is there anything that you just want to share about your your process, the search, how it's felt that you think more people should know about, especially people who are in charge of you know trying to get their schools on the radars of the right kids and and encourage them to apply and hopefully be a good place for them.
00:31:56
Romy Johnson
Yeah, I think it's just like remembering that it's like overwhelming almost, I think. And just like differentiating themselves. Like i just, I look at all these websites and like all these different schools, like platforms and stuff, and it just, it all feels so similar to me. And I think that's what really puts it up to like the stats and like the location of the school, because at a certain point, I'm just like all these schools, like,
00:32:27
Romy Johnson
feel the same so it's like what makes them special like the student life and that's why I think like seeing like more of like the students situations is so important and like don't know they're yeah I don't know I just think like seeing the school like from like a insider perspective is important
00:32:49
Tracey Halvorsen
yeah Yeah, if there were like virtual tours that were ride-alongs, where you were POV p ov of you know the first 10 minutes of my you know rolling into my chemistry class with my friends or something like that, is that something that would be interesting?
00:33:00
Romy Johnson
Yeah.
00:33:08
Romy Johnson
yeah That would be so cool. I totally think that would be interesting.
00:33:13
Tracey Halvorsen
Do you think that um schools are are, do they come across as trying to hide something with all that sameness and, you know, all the the drone video footage of the beautiful buildings and, you know, you know all the the diverse group of students reading together under a tree, you know?
00:33:25
Romy Johnson
yeah
00:33:30
Romy Johnson
Yeah, yeah, exactly. I wouldn't say it seems like they're trying to hide something, but it just seems so, like, impersonal and just staged. Like, that's just what I think when I see this. I'm like, this tells me nothing about the school, you know what i mean? Like, if anything, this is, like, taking away from, like, my perception of the school itself.
00:33:49
Tracey Halvorsen
let me ask you this too. um So you're a Gen Z, right?
00:33:53
Romy Johnson
Yeah.
00:33:54
Tracey Halvorsen
ah do you Do you identify with that? Like, is that something that you and your friends are like, oh yeah, we're so Gen Z?
00:34:01
Romy Johnson
No, but I think because like, I think that would be seen as like a little like cringe or like seen as like, yeah no.
00:34:12
Romy Johnson
But like, obviously that's like my generation, but I don't think people are like thinking like, oh my gosh, like we're so Gen Z. I think it's just like, we're, we're just the younger generation, I guess.
00:34:20
Tracey Halvorsen
just who you are. Yeah.
00:34:24
Tracey Halvorsen
Well, people often say that the younger generation, that you all don't like to read a lot of text. If you see a lot of text, text, text, that it's kind of a turnoff and that you're really you know you've grown up with phones and scrolling and scanning stuff.
00:34:41
Romy Johnson
Yeah.
00:34:44
Tracey Halvorsen
Talk to me about how and when you do actually spend time reading ah longer form content.
00:34:52
Romy Johnson
um In my English class, I think is when I'm used to read longer content.
00:34:54
Tracey Halvorsen
Okay. what is that to
00:34:59
Romy Johnson
um Yeah, I think if I'm looking for something like really specific, like someone's name at a college, like a professor's name or something like that, and like I'll just end up reading through it. I want to know.
00:35:12
Romy Johnson
It's just when I want to know something specific and like it's in text form, I think. I wouldn't like read a whole synopsis about a school. but I would read if I was like trying to figure out like how to like apply to their dual enrollment.
00:35:19
Tracey Halvorsen
okay
00:35:24
Romy Johnson
like i I would read this whole thing or like if I had to do anything like that in terms of like college. But I definitely think it's true. like i So many of my friends, like I've just seen how like short their attention spans are. And I know like that's like,
00:35:38
Romy Johnson
I don't know. I don't want to like hate on like my friends, obviously, or like everyone around me. so The same is with me. Like, I'm sure my attention span is like so much shorter than it used to be just because of like the constant like scrolling and like the dopamine from all those like tiny like two second videos.
00:35:52
Romy Johnson
But I think like that's definitely like a factor in like people's ability to like look on a website and like read.
00:35:59
Tracey Halvorsen
Right, right. Are you ever going to a website and like going through all the pages of all the content reading everything?
00:36:07
Romy Johnson
um No, I would never i would never read everything on the website. Like, I just think that's like, yeah, no I wouldn't honestly if I i would only really do that if I was looking for something in particular. But I'd never just like out of curiosity, like go and read the whole website. I would just like ask around or like look it up on my phone, like Google search it.
00:36:31
Tracey Halvorsen
All right, well, anything else that you want to give me feedback on? or you know i mean we're We're trying to make trying to make this a better um a better place out there on the web and social media and tell the truth and you know make connections with with with people for these places that you know are going to have a huge impact on their lives.
00:36:54
Tracey Halvorsen
And so it's really important.
00:36:57
Romy Johnson
I think just like honesty is something that I feel like I see a lack of in this process. Like there are some schools that are like test- test optional, but then it's like kind of like known by everyone that they're like test preferred or like just certain things like that. Like I just, I wish there was more like transparency and honesty in that like respect, especially when like applying like, okay, like the transparency you need like to be like taking these classes or like obviously you're like gonna be rejected from here or like you really seriously should get up your SAT t score and think about submitting it to this school even though you don't have to.
00:37:39
Tracey Halvorsen
Yeah.
00:37:39
Romy Johnson
Just to keep that.
00:37:41
Tracey Halvorsen
Well, Romy, thank you so much for um sharing your perspective on all of this. And i wish you the best of luck on your application process.
00:37:46
Romy Johnson
Yes.
00:37:52
Tracey Halvorsen
And I hope you get into all your top choices and have a really hard time making a final decision. ah
00:37:59
Romy Johnson
take
00:38:01
Tracey Halvorsen
All right.