By: Kaliya Williams
Fall is one of the best times of the year, it closes out summer and brings us into Halloween, Thanksgiving and many uplifting days, however for seniors it brings college applications. While I have always enjoyed the months of October and November this year, these months remind me of essays, deadlines, and stress.
The seniors applying to colleges this year are under immense amounts of pressure to complete applications, apply for FAFSA, and to finish up essays. This year especially, after returning to school post-pandemic, can make managing schoolwork, mental health, and college applications hard to balance. The large majority of students are struggling from either lack of knowledge surrounding the application process and/or trying to figure out the right fit and probability of acceptance. Following the pandemic, there are a variety of differences this year when colleges determine applicants. Most schools no longer consider SAT/ACT for admission leaving a lot of uncertainty for a student’s chance at their dream school. Covid also held back a lot of students from having an opportunity to pursue extracurriculars over the past two years.
The application struggle ranges from student to student. According to Ciara Whipple (12), College Applications happened so fast. Whipple’s main stress for applications was inputting grades to her application. As for FAFSA, she completed the form early in October which relieved some pressure. Some students who are applying internationally have a completely different process of applying to the research. Whipple explains the international schools she is applying to don’t have general education requirements which means you start studying your major immediately. The main questions that come up for students can be simply answered by counselors or teachers.
Our school counselors are valuable resources to help students with their application process. Ms. Murtagh is our college, career, and financial aid counselor, she gives students advice for the upcoming months of application, she encourages students to just take a deep breath. Everything will work out the way it is supposed to. Making a timeline can be a convenient way to manage everything going on in the upcoming months and alleviate some stress by making a manageable schedule.
Although the stress and anxiety of college come fast it is exciting to look forward to the upcoming year. It will be worth the extra work of applying and writing essays when students receive their letter of acceptance. Just remember all questions can be answered by counselors and the career center coordinators.
