In the nationality section of the Common App and other college application forms, students are asked to check the boxes that apply most to their ethnicity. According to a recent article from the Associated Press, Asians have a disadvantage at getting into elite colleges, and students who are half Asian, half Caucasian are advised to only check the Caucasian box.

Walking through the halls at Saratoga High, one can’t help but see students talking about the last impossibly hard AP Biology test or stressing over an upcoming in-class essay. With an average of 98 percent of its students bound for college, the school is a breeding ground for academic stress. The last thing students need is additional pressure.

With declining acceptance rates and greater competition for top universities, it is no surprise that the many seniors have a college counselor or consultant outside of school.

With college application due dates looming, teachers, administrators and counselors are bombarded with requests for recommendation letters and green sheets. However, this year has been more hectic than ever, following the departure of a guidance counselor.

I’m 15 years old, and I’m a sophomore. That’s pretty normal, for most people. But, in my family, I’m falling behind. If I was like my brothers, I’d be halfway to a degree from West Valley College.
I go to Saratoga High, not West Valley. But I do have two older brothers, Matt and Andy, who began attending WVC at 13 and 15 respectively.

Computer languages. Bugs. Robots. Cells. Bunsen burners and chemicals.

As the school year slowly comes to a close, there is only one thing in sight for the senior class of 2011—graduation.

Due to budget cuts, this year’s summer school classes, held at Los Gatos High School from June 27 to Aug. 5, will offer only remedial or make-up classes.

Since she was a child, senior Keerti Shukla has gone to MIT a countless times when visiting her aunt and uncle, who both work at the school. Although she had walked through the pristine hallways of MIT on multiple occasions, Shukla’s desire to attend MIT became concrete once she decided to pursue a major in engineering.

Going into her freshman year, senior Courtney Maa never expected that taking one little animation class could take her so far.