With Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, and April Fools’ Day, it can seem that spring is full of opportunities to celebrate. On May 1, the class of 2016 will add a new kind of “holiday”: National Decision Day.

May 1 is a day that does not have much significance for a majority of Lane students, but for seniors it is a day that can determine the next four years of their lives. Decision Day marks the last day that seniors all across the country can decide if and where they will attend college in the fall.

Students have heard back from colleges since the end of November, but some will receive acceptances as late as the beginning of April. This year, Lane seniors were required to apply to at least three colleges, unless they were not planning on attending college or had already received a scholarship that covered at least 75 percent of tuition.

“The office of School Counseling and Postsecondary Advising set district wide standards for CPS students a few years ago, and applying to 3-5 colleges was one of the benchmarks,” Ms. Nakia Morgan said. Morgan is one of the many counselors at Lane who helps students with college and other school guidance.

“[Lane] counselors have always supported the mission, this is just the first year that students are being celebrated for completing post-secondary requirements,” Morgan said.

To celebrate all of the seniors’ hard work, the counseling department has an event where students are encouraged to come and show where all their effort will take them in the fall. The event will be in each student’s lunch period and will include music, food, and prizes.

Since May 1 is on a Sunday this year, the celebration date for Lane seniors will be on Friday, April 29.

Although this process can be stressful for some students, the ability to have guidance in making the right decision is a privilege that comes with attending a college prep high school.

Rafaella De La Vega, a graduate of the class of 2014, is a current sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was among the many students who were undecided about her college choice for much of senior year.

“I was going to go to a different university [before May 1], which in my opinion lacked school spirit and stressed high academic rigor. On the decision deadline, I changed schools and committed to UNC. To this day I am grateful for the spontaneous decision I took,” De La Vega said.

It was after receiving her financial aid email on May 1 that De La Vega got help from her counselor and parents with making such a decision.

“I was very hesitant in switching schools at the last minute, because I had never visited or even researched it. [But] I cannot imagine not receiving my financial aid email from UNC on the decision day, or else I would have never gained such an amazing out of state experience,” De La Vega said.

Even if some students will not know what their plans will be for next fall, all students are encouraged to attend the event to celebrate with their peers and all their accomplishments. Students are still able to apply to rolling admission schools and community colleges after May 1, and counselors will continue to help students who are unsure of their plans after graduation.

“It feels very satisfying knowing that all the hard work that I put in was all worth it in the end,” Ina Li, Div. 665, said. “I feel like it’s less stressful knowing you got into college but more stressful waiting for award letters, and when the time comes to choose a college [it’s stressful because] the topic of money comes into play,” Li said.

There are some requirements that need to be fulfilled in order for seniors to attend. On Wednesday April 13, or Passport Checkout Day, seniors will get approved by their counselors to attend the Decision Day event with a “passport” that signifies that they have completed several requirements. They include completing the Transcript Request Card, three to five college applications, three scholarship applications, submitting FAFSA, and having their final decision listed in Naviance.

The passport will then be used as a ticket to get into the Decision Day event April 29. Although there have been events in the past to commemorate decision day, this kind of a celebration has not been done before.

Morgan hopes that it will be a fun way for students to celebrate where their achievements will take them in the future.

“Depending on how this works or how well or not it runs, then we will make adjustments for next year’s class,” Morgan said. The event will be held in the Memorial Garden, weather permitting, but if not it will be held in Gym 3.

Until then, seniors will continue preparing for and looking forward to celebrating their future endeavors for life after Lane.