By Shreya Srivastava ’13, Staff Writer

We all look forward to our senior year: a time to relax, enjoy the end of high school, and get excited for the challenges that await us in college.  Apart from the dreaded college applications, the year seems like a relief from the pressures of high school.  But perhaps harder than applying to college is choosing which college to attend.  Understandably, some of the aspects that influence this decision are academics, sports, and arts.  But how much, if at all, does religion influence this decision?

Generally, for students at Newark Academy, religion is not a big part of the college selection.   School President Senior Rebecca Ellis, Jewish by faith, would not want to go to a school “that is dominated by people from the same religion.”  She would like to attend a school “that has a mix of everything so that [she] can get more exposure to different religions.   A diverse community is important.” College counselor Dr. DiBianca has noticed that  “students are attracted to a sense of community – perhaps like they have at NA – and religion can play a role in that.” However, “religion [generally] plays a minor role in the college search process for NA students.”

Even if we consider a more religious student like Senior Ellen Fishbein, we see that a diversity, rather than religion, is most important.  For Ellen, “community isn’t what faith is about. […] Faith is about personal commitment, discipline, and growth.  Christian communities are a lot less important to me than communities of open-mindedness and lively dialogue across belief systems.”  Personally, I agree with these two positions: a diverse community, like the one we have at NA, offers a wide range of perspectives and experiences.   With an open mind we can learn more from the views of others, while still retaining personal beliefs.