The stress of college applications

Zoe Harms, Co-Editor-in-Chief

It’s that time of the year again where seniors start their college applications and let’s be honest, that comes with a lot of stress. I have the inside scoop on what college applications are really like, essays, and basic application forms. 

“My first step was looking up the top colleges for my major and choosing the ones that seemed like a good fit based on size, location, and applicants’ SAT scores,” senior Katherine Li said.

She also made sure to categorize the schools she was interested in to keep it realistic. She had reach, target, and safety schools.

However, senior Destiny Dam says she’s “all over the place” when it comes to her application thought process. “I don’t have a dream school, but I do know I want to go somewhere where I feel welcome, and I want to experience life,” Dam said. “I want to  grow not only as a student but as a person.”

When applying to colleges, you can’t put all of your apples in one bag. “The fact that I am taking community college classes and an internship while doing applications has been hard on time and finishing up my application stuff,” senior Bilal Ron said.

A lot of students are having a hard time because they have jobs, sports, and AP classes. 

Although Ron’s struggle is balancing all of his commitments, some people have other worries. Writing isn’t for everyone; some people hate doing it altogether. Dam can relate. 

“[Some] obstacles I’ve had is time and procrastination. I keep putting off doing my letters of recommendation but I have to get on it ASAP,” Dam said. “My biggest challenge is just writing the essay. It’s hard for me to just sit down and think.” 

“This process has been very anxiety-inducing because my high school career has built up to this and it’s a reminder that my entire future depends on what school I go to,” Li said. “Applications are extremely competitive and I have no room for error, so my test scores, essays, recommendation letters, etc. must be flawless.” 

The pressure can be very extensive when it comes to college, so some students find they need something to keep their minds off it. 

Some students, like Dam, overcome their stress. “I sleep to overcome my stress or I go out with friends to just get away from everything happening,” Dam said. “To calm myself down I just take a break and think to myself.” 

Ron utilizes a culinary approach. “I cook food, listen to songs, and take naps to reduce stress,” he said. “I am learning new recipes such as cheesecake and mocha, so that has helped me relax a lot.”

Although college applications can take a lot out of you, there are easy ways of getting out of that college slump. Finding your stress relievers is hard to do, try doing what Ron and Dam did and see if that works for you.