June 4, 2025 Volume 8, Issue 6 @thenuevacurrent
The Student Newspaper of The Nueva School San Mateo, California
ART BY ANWEN C.
Chasing Success Inside the internal and external pressures and perceptions of the college admissions chase Story by Ethan H. Sports Editor & AlvinY. News Editor Additional Research by Athena C. & Aryan M.
Part I: Great Expectations
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Inside this Issue:
day in the life of a Bay Area teenager in 2025: Since you were eight, it has been your dream to go to school on the East Coast and attend an Ivy League university. You are aware that many of your friends share these dreams. You have straight As, over 100 hours of community service, and are a two-sport athlete to balance out your academics. You know one classmate recently participated in a national debate competition, and you know another started their own non-profit organization from scratch. You worry if you
The Fight Over Bike Lanes
Anti-bike lane and probike lane sentiment has erupted over transportation law and San Mateo roads.
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have done enough to stand out. And there is a reason you feel this way. Specifically at Nueva, data from the College Counseling department shows that 35% of students from the classes of 2017–2020 and 36% from the classes of 2022–2025 attended highly selective schools with admissions rates as low as three percent and regularly top the Best National University Rankings from U.S. News & Report. A side effect of these matriculation results has caused ripples among the student body. Some find that the consistency of high acceptance rate to highly selective universities of prior
And All That Jazz The Nueva theatre program put on Chicago, with a few fresh twists and lots of glitter.
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years breeds lofty standards. In a survey given to 113 Upper School students—roughly a fourth of the student body—the data shows that 88% of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors agreed that it was important for them to attend a highly selective college, and 69% agreed that attending one would be representative of their academic success and value. One freshman wrote on the survey, “[If I didn’t], I would feel like going to Nueva was all a waste.” The underlying pressure expressed in the survey does arise from some students sharing the same college goals—
How Optimistic Are You About the Future?
A new survey reveals Nueva students' views on the future, and the role of Gen Z in shaping it.
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and feeling like they are in competition for a limited number of spots—but external factors also influence it. For example, social media plays an outsized role in amplifying these feelings of competition by constantly showcasing peers’ achievements, college acceptances, and curated academic successes. In mid-May, Nueva seniors gathered on the Rosenberg Lawn to participate in a social media trend that takes place every spring across the country: posting photos and videos of themselves in their college sweatshirts.
Continued on Page 12
Student Standoff: Advisory Two students share their experiences with advisory, all they've gained, and the advice they have going forward, for how advisory should change, or perhaps, our own mindsets.
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Weighted Athletic Performance
A different way of looking at the athletics scorebook by the end of the season, team by team.
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