In her college search and application process, Deanna had all-star support from her host, Kristin Esterberg. Esterberg, provost of Salem State University, was very helpful in matching Starr’s interest in communication and broadcast sports journalism with a school with Division One teams and a sports atmosphere. Altogether, Deanna applied to Villanova, Binghamton and three other top SUNY schools, Bates, Syracuse, Gettysburg, Elon and Wake Forest.
When the acceptances came in Deanna chose Villanova University noting, “I can be happy at any of these schools.”
“I think the toughest part was figuring out what I wanted to be. Everyone says you don’t have to decide that until sophomore year but, really, you have to have a good idea so you can choose colleges that have majors you are interested in.” Deanna decided to narrow her search to solid liberal arts colleges.
The best advice she received during the waiting process was from her host mom. “She explained the admissions process to me: the acceptance is random--if they are looking for a tuba player that day, you may have the best grades but they’ll choose the tuba player. It really helped me feel less discouraged.”