4- Year Colleges (32 Students): The following is a list of colleges the Class of 2017 will be attending, followed by their acceptance rates: St.Michael’s 76% (1), UMaine 82.6% (1), SUNY Polytechnic (56.1%), University of New Hampshire (80%), Elms College (50%), Umass Amherst 58% (4), Umass Dartmouth 71%(1), Southern New Hampshire 84.2%(2), Carnegie Mellon 14% (1), Massachusetts Maritime Academy 62% (1),  Rochester Institute of Technology 57% (1), University of Connecticut 53% (1), American International College 68% (1), Wheelock College 87.5% (1), Wheaton College 70% (1), University of Vermont 69% (1), Westfield State 74.6% (1), Manhattan College 66.5% (1), Suffolk University 82.4% (1), Castleton 91.6% (1), Siena College 66% (1), Western New England Pharmacy 43% (1), University of Rhode Island 76.8%(1)

2- Year Colleges (9 Students): These colleges include Holyoke Community College, Greenfield Community College, and Mount Wachusett Community College. Community college is seen as a cheaper equivalent to gaining an associate’s degree after two years at a larger college or university.

Specialty School (1 Student): Many graduates decide that a 4-year college is not the right choice for their career. Careers that do not require college degrees usually require certificate programs and other means to supplement a certain job.  Lauren Sankey is a member of the Class of 2017 who is going to study paramedical aesthetics at the Aesthetic Science Institute in Latham, New York. She is doing this on an accelerated track, and will receive a state license after one year. This puts Lauren in the workforce faster than many undergraduate college students. Although a different experience, Lauren comments, “I just feel like kids tend to get really wrapped up in partying and long breaks…I want to be able to jump right into what I want to do. The program will give me the opportunity to become internationally licensed too, so I am hoping that maybe I can spend a couple years working in another country or on a cruise ship.” We wish Lauren the best of luck!

Gap Year (1 Student): Many students find that they require a gap year before heading off to college. Greta Kurtz is a member of the senior class who is taking this route before she heads off to Southern New Hampshire University in the fall of 2018. Her plans are to travel to Central America to teach English to younger students before she invests in her future. Greta is using Interim, a professional Gap Year group, as a way to facilitate her gap year. We wish her luck!

Workforce (3 Students): A few students at Hopkins Academy will be entering the workforce immediately after graduation. With an economy moving so quickly, it’s sometimes unclear how lucrative certain industries are after spending 4 years obtaining a bachelor degree. For this reason, many students would rather join the workforce directly after high school.