National Decision Day is celebrated on Sunday, May 1, the day when thousands upon thousands of high school seniors will select — and then announce with pride — the colleges and universities that will be their new homes.
Kaitlyn Younger
For Kaitlyn Younger, a standout high school senior near Dallas, her choice is Arizona State University. She is admitted to Barrett, The Honors College and the W. P. Carey School of Business and will arrive in August to study finance.
Younger, a high achiever who scored 1550 on her SAT and has a 4.65 weighted grade-point average, was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal about her college search process. Though she had her eyes on many universities, ASU emerged as her top selection.
At McKinney High School, as the Journal noted, she founded the school accounting club, sang in the choir, appeared in dozens of plays and took 11 AP classes.
She was drawn to a diversity of experiences that ASU offers for students like her who have a wide range of interests. And her expectations of the ASU academic experience felt aligned with her prior achievements and future goals.
Younger took a tour of ASU in August 2021 before her senior year, which cemented her decision. Stepping onto many other college campuses during her college search, she just couldn’t see herself there. At ASU, she felt right at home.
“I am just really excited to be on campus. It seems like such an outdoorsy campus, and I’m definitely a person who loves to be out and about in the sunny weather. I can’t wait to study out on the grass,’’ she said, later adding, “I knew from the beginning that I would be able to be completely happy and fulfilled at ASU.”
ASU is excited to welcome her and the record number of first-year students the university anticipates will arrive this upcoming fall semester. To amplify that excitement, the university community has created several virtual experiences for ASU-bound students and their families to join in on the fun.
ASU’s virtual activities include:
- Graduation party kit to help students and families throw the perfect ASU-themed high school graduation party. The kits include downloadable links to invitations, posters, ASU lawn signs and games.
- College Signing Day photo submission website, where students can view a gallery of incoming students and upload their own photo.
- College Signing Day website, which goes live April 29. The site includes links to the graduation party kit, plus an interactive map for students to see where the ASU class of 2026 is from, along with bookstore coupons and even a Class of 2026 Spotify playlist filled with student-submitted songs.
Students can follow the celebration on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and join in by tagging @FutureSunDevils on their own posts.
“The entire ASU community is so excited to welcome Kaitlyn and all the amazing students that will join us for the 2022–23 academic year,” said Brad Baertsch, senior director of undergraduate domestic and international recruitment. “During the admission cycle, our team has the privilege of meeting incredible students who will join ASU. There are so many inspiring future Sun Devils like Kaitlyn who will enrich our university community. We can’t wait to welcome them and offer our support as they take on this next chapter in their academic journey.”
As she looks ahead to August, Younger thinks about the many opportunities that await her — studying finance and maybe minoring in musical theater, or potentially studying international business and real estate. She looks forward to “rush week” with sororities, the chance to audition for plays and simply exploring campus.
“I feel that ASU deeply values me as an individual even through the ups and downs of my high school career. This value is why I believe ASU will help push me to the best I can be within my specific studies,” she said. “At the same time, I appreciate the balance that ASU offers with extracurriculars, sports or other campus activities that allow me to have a well-rounded college experience rather than hyper-focusing on a specific interest and burning out.
“I feel like I will be the happiest at ASU, which makes me very excited to start classes in the fall.”
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