A panel of current Rockhurst Seniors shared their experiences and advice on Nov. 16 at the Making High School Count event for freshmen and sophomores, put on by the College Counseling Department. This yearly tradition helps give underclassmen, as well as their parents, some helpful insight into what it’s like to be a student at Rockhurst and what the college admissions process is like.

Seniors Julian Garcia, Sam Grilliot, Brian Humphrey, Lukas Pitman, Ben Russell, Matthew Schneeberger and Max Smith participated in the panel. This Q&A panel helped students and parents “utilize their freshman and sophomore year to just make friends…to get involved in as many activities as possible just to find what interests them,” said Pitman.

Many seniors say that they would’ve done things a lot differently as freshmen. Some students regret not pursuing their interests more fully from the start of their Rockhurst experience due to “how fast time flew by,” said Pitman. Getting involved with clubs and sports and simply putting yourself out there and meeting new people is vital to making freshman year memorable, say seniors.

“Student Diversity Union is a great way to engage in meaningful dialogue on important issues that affect many different aspects of our lives,” said Grilliot. He added that these activities help students paint a picture of what they could possibly do in college and make the admissions process more manageable.

As someone currently going through the college admissions process, Pitman says he’s “glad [he] attended the panel when [he] was a freshman because it’s given [him] valuable advice on choosing the school best suited for [his] needs.”

This panel has been going on for several years now. It continues because when the college counseling office does programming for underclassmen.

“What they remember most is hearing directly from the seniors that have been in their shoes just a few years ago,” said college counselor Kyle Johnson.

Freshman and sophomore years are as much for self exploration as they are for making connections with friends and teachers that will set you up for success in the activities students are passionate about, say seniors. Furthermore, by pursuing interests, students become the well-rounded individuals that colleges love to see.