As seniors start to send in college applications, an interesting trend is continuing in Hopkinton High School. Every year, more and more students are applying to school down South. Last year, that trend continued with hundreds of applications being sent to Southern schools along with many students eventually attending such schools. The most popular Southern schools were South Carolina, Miami, Clemson, Kentucky, Auburn, Georgia, Alabama, and that trend seems to be continuing with the Class of 2018.

The question is why are more and more people looking down South for college? To find out, I asked a number of HHS seniors who are applying to Southern schools. Almost everyone I interviewed talked about how the culture in the South is a major factor in applying. Senior Louis Dentiste mentioned how “everyone down there just seems nicer and more welcoming compared to people up North. You can’t walk down the street without someone saying ‘hi’ to you.”

Surprisingly, most of the people I interviewed did not seem worried about the cultural differences between the North and the South. “I think people overestimate how different the South really is compared to the North. People are very welcoming down there.” said senior Alex MacDonald.

Unsurprisingly, one of the most common reasons why students are applying to Southern schools is the weather. “The fact that I do not have to deal with another New England winter is definitely a positive for me.” said senior Allie Mauro.

All in all, it sounds like the students of HHS are becoming more adventurous when it comes to picking schools, and I think the South will benefit greatly by having some more Hillers.