‘It doesn’t have to be stressful’: Class of 2023’s college process

From COLLEGE PROCESS, page 1 to build the project at home by following the scientific method or design cycle and share their creations at the fair with the community. “STEAMFest is really about the kids taking agency and doing their own design and really coming up with their own projects,” Bhalla said.

“We’ve seen students feel pressured to put something out there, even though they hadn’t even had the conversation with their parents,” Joos said. The college counselors pointed out that WIS only publishes a list of commitments by class and does not identify which student is heading to each college in the fall.

Although the college counselors feel like things are going “a little awry,” in Joos’ words, for the class of 2024, they hope that students can take a step back, remember this is their first time applying to college and look to people who have already gone through the process for resources and advice.

“Don’t take the rejections personally. It’s hard not to, and it takes a toll on you, but it’s not a reflection of how qualified you are.

This year’s STEAMFest featured several interesting projects.

First-graders Devyna Dean and Maya Sood worked together on a project about how recycling will benefit the future of the planet.

Third-graders Livia Benelli and Maeva Delsol discussed the importance of Agoutis, which are rodents that help nut trees grow and are especially important since many trees are being cut down. They take the nuts from the Brazil nut tree, open them to find smaller nuts and then hide

Bhalla agrees that STEAMFest allows students to dive into their passions and areas of interest. “Every student will find one thing in [STEAMFest] that they will think, ‘Oh, I really enjoyed this,’” Bhalla said. “The beauty of it is that, embedded in the project, everyone will find something that they can get out of it, and keep as they progress.”

The event helps them envision their future in the field of STEAM. “Exposing young kids to as many possible avenues is the ultimate way to set them up in the future,” Blutinger said. “I think it definitely will help them to develop their knowledge base, show them what’s possible with this different technology.”

NATASHA BHALLA

Along with setting up the stations and presenting their projects to other students, parents and siblings, the young participants got to hear from a guest speaker.

“What a speaker does is it anchors the program,” Bhalla said. “[A speaker] brings

Ultimately, STEAMFest represents the school’s objectives for their students and their growth throughout their educational journey.

“STEAMFest is a snapshot of what it means to be a student at WIS,” Bhalla said. “It is a prism through which everything we do it with is represented. There’s teaching, there’s content, there’s exploration, student agency, the capacity to create and build and then ultimately to publish and share.”

MADELINE ROBBINS

Illing’s advice for next year’s seniors is simple: relax.

“I think there’s this idea of a stressful process,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be stressful, especially when you’ve got people who are supporting each other and no one’s boasting and everyone knows how to be respectful. It makes the whole process much better.”

Chao calls her college application process a “positive experience” due to the manner in which her grade approached it and her college counselor’s support.

Robbins hopes that next year’s seniors will be supportive of each other as well. She also urges students to learn to accept rejection.

“No matter how qualified you are, everyone is going to get rejected,” Robbins said. “Don’t take the rejections personally. It’s hard not to, and it takes a toll on you, but it’s not a reflection of how qualified you are.”