May 1 is a Day for Seniors to Celebrate

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Relief. Joy. Excitement.

There was much laughter and many hugs as students celebrated "Senior Signing Day," a long-held CCES tradition marking the end of the seniors' long, emotion-wracked college searches.

With colleges and universities throughout the country requiring firm commitments (and non-refundable deposits) in hand by May 1, seniors could officially throw off the anxiety of the preceding months and announce their college choices by wearing a shirt from their future alma maters.



The festivities started as students lined up to sign the Class of 2008 "College Board," a poster displaying the name of each student in the graduating class and where he or she is going to college in the fall. A series of these posters is on view in the College Guidance Office.



Then it was outdoors, under the bridge, to "flag the cake," that is, to place a flag marked with the name of the student's college on a map made of icing atop the Cavalier blue-and-white senior cake.



As one North-Carolina-bound student attempted to place his flag, he complained that the flags of "some of the Furman people," no doubt feeling crowded in South Carolina, had unwittingly crept across the border.

He was referring to the fact that, according to College Guidance Counselor Ashley Pittman, a total of 14 students, or 20 percent of the Class of 2009, are headed to Furman University. (Two are going on prestigious scholarships: Emily Bridges on the James B. Duke Scholarship and Michael Brearley on the Hollingsworth.)



In addition, nine students are headed to Clemson University (one of whom will attend the honors college there), three will attend College of Charleston, and two will go to Coastal Carolina (one on an athletic scholarship).



Two exceptional students are headed to the Ivy League, Chase Carpenter to Harvard and Katherine Latham to Yale.



Commented Pittman, "Fifty-six percent of this class is staying in state. Many students made an in-state decision based on worries about the economy, including students who were accepted to schools like Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Miami of Ohio, the University of Georgia, Elon, Southern Methodist University, and Washington University in St. Louis."



Among the out-of-state schools the Class of 2008 will be attending are Georgetown, Washington and Lee, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Hamilton College, Colorado State, Elon, Rhodes, Southern Methodist University, Appalachian State, University of Alabama, Auburn University, Belmont University, University of British Columbia, University of North Texas, and University of Tennessee.

A complete list of the colleges each graduate will attend will be published in the fall edition of Highlights.

Congratulations to the Class of 2008!