As the school year kicks off into full swing, the class of 2024 has turned their attention to college applications. The application process brings with it major stresses as students worry about checking all the boxes and portraying themselves as perfect candidates for their “dream schools.” With many November 1st deadlines getting closer, the stress of completing the applications has dramatically picked up for seniors.
The Common App, the website used to apply to most colleges today, is a daunting task to complete. Students applying must answer all the questions on their Common App Profile, a personal statement essay, and the questions for each school they wish to apply to. The personal statement essay is an intimidating assignment that is anticipated for most students ‘ academic journeys. The major, well-crafted, 650-word essay tells college admissions an interesting story about who they are. Students spend time planning to perfection what to say in this essay, which often involves major revision. Some schools require supplemental essays, where they ask specific questions students must answer in however many words are allowed. Some could be short answer questions, and others essays or sentences, but they all require much thought and time.
Aside from the Common Application, applying to colleges involves slowly chipping away at many other individual tasks. Some of these tasks may include taking the SAT or ACT, attending college meetings, interviews with admission counselors, setting up portals, emailing admissions, and visiting the schools. Although not all students decide to submit their test scores to schools, attempting to take the SAT or ACT requires tutoring, preparation, and stress.
Most seniors are all at their own place in applying to colleges. A good majority of students worked on and made much progress on their personal statement essays throughout summer break, allowing them to focus on the specific college questions as they progress through the fall. Being unsure of a preference for a school, some students have as many as 15 different applications or as little as 5 to submit. Those who have previously committed to a school because of a sport such as soccer, lacrosse, or basketball have only one application to complete.
Depending on their preference over schools, some seniors have chosen to Early Decision to a college, meaning if they get in they are bound to enroll. However, the majority of the student body has chosen Early Action. This means they apply early and get a response from the school back regarding acceptance much quicker. The Early action deadlines are nearing, many of them being November 1st or 15th, causing many students to begin to apply now. Senior Vaughan Sellars, shares where she is at in the college application process. “Today I am going to meet my tutor to submit my applications and I am excited for it to be over. It has been a long process, very stressful, but I am excited.”
Applying to colleges is a long and daunting process that involves major stress for students. As they begin to think about their future, the seniors worry about getting accepted into the schools they love most and strive to make everything perfect. Senior Abby Nengel, shares her stresses over the process. “They’re super time consuming, stressful, and you feel like your essay is never really done. You are just constantly fixing it, but you just need to submit it.” This process involves major uncertainty as students attempt to navigate these tough decisions, heavier workloads, and wait for an answer from the schools. The acceptance letter into college takes time and work, and the class of 2024 is just beginning to take these future steps.
