By Alex Lento, ’10, LifeStyle Section Editor
Everybody knows that seniors are feeling the stress of college applications. Filling out applications and writing essays is time consuming, and with the process getting more and more competitive, it can seem as if any little mistake could earn you an automatic denial. Still, this competitiveness has some advantages. Many younger students, for instance, are visiting colleges and starting to prepare for standardized tests early. College stress affects all of us in some way during our high school experience, but there may be ways to lessen it.
Upperclassmen:
By junior year, the college process will be in full swing. Junior year is a key time for standardized testing as well as college visits. “If I only had to worry about having good grades, instead of getting a good score on a standardized test and my grades, I would feel much less pressure,” said Jamie Huelskamp, ’11.
During senior year, when it’s time to actually apply to colleges, the toughest part may be figuring out how many and which schools to apply to. For some seniors, like Claire Willingham, applying to more schools decreases stress. “I know I’ll have more options to choose from in the spring. As set as I am on my first choice, things could change, and I don’t want to look back and think, ‘What if I had applied there?’” However, some seniors believe applying to more colleges just creates more work and more essays to be written.
Besides regular course work and extracurricular activities, seniors must fit in college visits, second or third rounds of standardized testing, and applications (including some really tough essays). The stress doesn’t stop when the applications are complete. Waiting for a response from each college, filling out financial aid or scholarship forms, and keeping up grades is also stressful, except for a select few students admitted to their first-choice colleges early in the year.
So, how do we cope?
Juniors: Don’t leave all your college visits until senior year. Talk to your parents about planning trips over spring or summer break. Cam June, ’10, said, “I wish I had started prepping for the college visits and started college applications earlier,” a common thought this fall among seniors. If that’s not a possibility, see if you can drive by some schools. Even if you aren’t interested in the schools nearby, getting to see any school will help you decide what you like and don’t like. Visit large schools, small schools, public schools, and private schools. Also, don’t freak out if your standardized test scores aren’t what you’d hoped for. Almost everyone improves their second time around.
Seniors: Strictly in theory, we are all done with our applications. Now, we wait. For those of you who have a specific time when you are supposed to hear from colleges (basically from any college that isn’t rolling), as hard as it is, try to put it out of your mind until then. Stressing about it won’t change whether you get in. It’s more important now to do well on exams.
Underclassmen
The stress level differs greatly among underclassmen. Avery Maier, ’13, says she feels pressured to prepare for the SAT. “I have already taken it twice, which makes me slightly less nervous about it, but I still feel like I should constantly be studying,” she said. However, some disagree. “I have plenty of time; I’m only a freshman,” said Elliot Cofer, ’13. Lily Cohen, ’12, said, “It is stupid to already be worrying about college as a first-semester sophomore.”
But does starting the process early decrease or increase stress? Students at CCDS take the PSAT to help prepare for the SAT as both sophomores and juniors. Some students, like Audrey McCartney, ’12, feel that taking the PSAT as a sophomore increases their stress. “It made me think of all the things I need to do in order to prepare for applying to college… especially about the good grades I need to maintain and the extracurricular activities I will need to put on a college application.” However, some students appreciate the extra practice, especially those hoping to achieve National Merit status from their junior-year scores. The scores from sophomore year don’t get reported to college, so even if you don’t do well, you have time to improve.
Besides practice and preparation, having an older sibling who has gone through the process makes it seem less daunting. For Holly Dayton, ’13, it has helped her understand what she wants in a college. “Having older siblings who went through the college process alleviates so much stress, because the college visiting experience is nothing new,” she said.
If you read the section on upperclassmen, or if you’ve noticed the frazzled looks on the faces of some juniors before a history test, you probably fear for your sanity. My advice:
Don’t worry about where you want to go to college or how you will get in. Just focus on getting good grades and figuring out which activities you want to become more involved in. Even if you don’t get the grades you hope for, colleges understand how hard high school can be. While they won’t ignore really low marks, they will be happy to see improvement. So, for those of you performing below your potential, make it a goal to do better each marking period.
Image courtesty of timeoutchicago.com.
