For Shanelle Johnson, senior year is a breeze.
She has applied to many colleges and universities and has already received eight acceptance letters. She has been accepted to the following; Wayne State University, Eastern Michigan University, Bowling Green State University, University of Michigan-Flint, Central Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, Cornerstone University and Jackson State University.
She knows she can not attend them all, but she says she wanted to see where her grades and test scores would take her. She says her top three picks are “Grand Valley State University because they offered me a scholarship, Bowling Green because their campus is really pretty and University of Michigan because they have a great medical program.”
Johnson says she plans to major in biology and, down the line, study medicine.
Three of her acceptances came from on-site interviews held at Southfield High, when college admissions officers came to the school’s Career Center. That’s how she was admitted to Central Michigan, Eastern, and Grand Valley.
Although Johnson has a clutch of acceptance letters, she says she is still applying to other colleges to maximize her options.
She advises juniors to “Take the ACT seriously. I had to take the ACT test twice and pay for it the second time.” She also says, “Do not procrastinate. Try to get accepted to the school of your choice by January so you can have more time for (applying for) scholarships.”
Fellow senior Erica Mickens only applied to Grand Valley State University and Western Michigan University. Mickens says, “I only applied to two schools because I only planned on applying to my top three, and when I got my acceptance letter to my top two, I just didn’t apply anymore.”
Counselor Tom Holliday says he usually recommends that students apply to three colleges. Those three should be a “reach school” that the student would like to attend but might not be able to get into, a “just-right” school that is looking for a student with their grades and test scores, and a “safety” school that the student knows will accept them in case neither of the other two works out.
Holliday says that eight acceptance letters is “unusual for a typical Southfield High student.” Holliday says, “There are only two reasons I can think of why a student would apply to eight schools. Either they want popularity, or they are just looking for the college that fits them best and gives the most money.”
Johnson says she’s in it for the most scholarship money.