Stratford seniors attended a meeting on Jan. 4 with eight members from last year’s graduating class, who offered advice and shared their experiences as college freshmen. The meeting is arranged by the alumni office during the first week of January every years, while these students are still on their winter breaks.

The panel consisted of Jake Jamison (Auburn), Ellie Minette (Rollins), Emily Fackler (Auburn), Katherine Hall (UPenn), Akshay Ranabhotu (Mercer), Mark Barrow (Georgia Tech), Tejas Athni (Stanford), and Shawn Shivdat (Harvard).

Mr. Mike Kelley, history teacher, moderated the panel and asked the students how they made college decisions, tips for applications, and how they adjusted socially and academically in the new environment.

Tejas Athni, last year’s valedictorian, and Ellie Minette recommended using a calendar to manage the social and academic life in college.

The seniors were reassured by their former classmates, who told them even if they are having a difficult admissions process, everything will work out in the end.