Freshmen, sophomores and juniors took the PSAT in October 2017 to prepare themselves for the SAT in the spring of their junior year. The PSAT total score is based on a 320 to 1520 scale, but when looking at results, there are sectioned scores for independent categories. A high score on this test may result in a better chance of getting into one’s desired school.

After PSAT scores were released a few weeks ago, many sophomores have been receiving emails from recruiting colleges. This sudden flow of college emails has brought differing thoughts and emotions from sophomores. One of the sophomores receiving emails is Jenny Horner.

“At first, I wasn’t getting many emails from colleges, but now I’m getting a lot and it’s cool,” Horner said. “Some of these colleges I haven’t heard of, but it gives you an opportunity to look into them.”

Horner was worried when she first heard her classmates talking about receiving emails from colleges. However, she wasn’t worried for long because colleges started contacting her soon.

“Getting these emails definitely made me realize how close college is and it’s kind of stressing me out because I’m scared for the SAT,” Horner said.

This is true for many tenth graders. Even for someone who knows where they are heading in their future, college is nerve wracking. For those looking to improve their score to lessen the stress of pre-college thoughts, there are prep classes both online and in person. Even with a plan, many things could go wrong and curveballs could be thrown in students’ directions. All of the changes and decisions that accompany college are time-consuming and a big step that Horner is not alone in making.

Unlike Horner, but similar to many of her classmates, sophomore Sam Champney struggles with the idea of college being in the near future. Every decision that accompanies college can be big and life changing, which is why many stress about it constantly, especially with the new attention on it.

“I am undecided on where I would like to go,” Champney said. “I have no idea what I am going to do with my life because I hate making big decisions. I want to do something that pays well.”

Another battle many students experience is the pressure from family to do what they think is in their best interest.

“My family wants me to go to Iowa, but I am unsure if that is what I want to do,” Champney said.

Many students find that even though they might not have an idea on what they wish to study in college, they still keep an eye out to see if their dream school will send them an email.

“I look through the emails and find schools that could be a possibility for me because I have to be realistic,” said sophomore Kacey Meltzer. “I need to make sure that I have other backup colleges if I don’t get into Tennessee. I find myself only reading the emails from colleges that interest me, otherwise I ignore them.”

Receiving emails is a glimpse into the future one may hope to have. While some are excited to see the flow of emails, others ignore the college advertisement. College is not for everybody and hopefully the next few years for these sophomores will help them decide what they want to do after high school.