Blue caps falling through the air, big smiles on every face, cameras flashing, sweaty palms grasping diplomas; these are all things that high school graduations are composed of. Then, it’s off to college.

This week, Feb. 29- March 4, is college week all across the district. From kindergarteners to seniors to faculty, everyone is donning college attire and thinking ahead.

“Senior year is a real struggle. There’s lots of pressure. Applying to college earlier makes the process easier,” said senior Fatima Chauhan, who will attend Collin College in the fall.

A few steps that go into planning a future are achieving high enough grades to bring up GPAs, and getting SAT and ACT scores at college acceptance level. Then admissions essays have to be sent to colleges, and the anticipation of the acceptance letters is a long and stressful wait.

Aside from the bending of the dress code rules, college week includes the increase of college awareness and helps get students on track and thinking about their futures. It’s also a chance for teachers to look back on their college experiences and share them with their pupils.

“At my high school there wasn’t any slacking off. There were no retakes or turning in late work. I think that really prepared me for college,” said geometry teacher Mrs. Mary Carter, who went to the University of Oklahoma.

Workshops and activities provided throughout the school year help make students college ready. Something that’s new, starting with the class of 2018, is the career experience classes that each student must complete four years of to graduate. Some career class options are business, journalism, health science and education training.

There’s even the College Club, a group that takes students on trips to colleges around Texas and even hosts activities such as ping pong tournaments to intrigue students and fund their club.

“College Club helps us with our grades and they give us planners so we can get used to having them in college,” sophomore Melisa Castillo said. “We also get to visit colleges and learn about what we need to do to get accepted.”