It’s college application season, a time for stress, anxiety, and uncertainty for seniors who have endeavored to attend a post-high school educational institution. The pressure of college applications is vigorous as the November through January college deadlines are slowly approaching. With the abundance of work needed to complete applications, the process can often be discouraging for students, especially amid an already heavy workload during senior year. 

When asking Quartz Hill High School Senior Daisy Curry how complicated the college application process has been for her thus far, she stated, “Overall, my college application experience so far has been a challenge. The applications are incredibly time-consuming; having to be able to keep up with constant school and homework and still find extra time for applications is a very taxing experience. I am also a student-athlete, much like many other classmates; finding time for practice and schoolwork is challenging enough. Adding applications onto that is difficult.” 

College applications are meant to be worked on and submitted around the first semester of one’s senior year, so seniors have to work on their college applications on top of the already busy senior year schedule with regular schoolwork and extracurricular activities, therefore making the timeline complicated. Additionally, the exceedingly high expectations of students during the college application process can be highly stressful. With college acceptance rates declining and grade and activity inflation increasing amongst students, it’s harder than ever to get into college with such high expectations from these institutions. Lastly, many deem the personal essay the most challenging part of the college application process. Personal essays are a crucial component of college applications, and it is often difficult for students to engage in such in-depth personal reflection, even if those students are exceptional writers. All these components make the college application process stressful and challenging,

However, the college application process is inevitable for those wanting to go to college. If one can complete the lengthy and challenging process, they will be met with the rewards and success of their hard work. When asking AP and IB teacher Dr. Steve Reti what advice he would give to seniors during the college application process, he stated, “The college application process is an exciting time –for students to reflect about their strengths and weaknesses, their aspirations and career goals, what they may be able to contribute for the good of the humanity and to achieve happiness for themselves.  More practically, take your time, enlist the help of friends and family to read your application essays and provide shoulders to cry on, and keep a sense of humor about the whole enterprise.”

It’s important to remember that while the college application process is complex, it is possible and rewarding. Don’t let yourself procrastinate or stress too much when completing your applications, and ask for help as much as needed!