Many find the long and demanding process of applying to college to be very difficult, while others find it quite easy. Many underclassmen going into the applying process are very stressed and confused as they have never dealt with college before.
Like many other seniors, Kyndall Jesse initially struggled with adapting to the process, especially with little help and poor time management.
“I thought the process of applying was nerve-racking mainly because I am a procrastinator,” Jesse said. “I found it to be stressful because college is just a big deal and I didn’t really know the process so everything was new to me.”
Senior Anna Kladiva has some suggestions on how to avoid the trap of starting late and how to catch up.
“My biggest piece of advice would be to start early. I struggled immensely with the details of writing the supplementary essay and I quickly fell behind. This caused me to have to come up from behind and catch up to others just because I started late,” Kladiva said. “So, definitely start as early as you can so there’s no possibility of falling behind.”
Davis Brown also felt that the most difficult part of applying is the supplementary essay. It seems to be the easiest way to fall behind and the easiest way to put more pressure on yourself. “My biggest struggle was the supplementary essays, because you have to repeat a lot of the same topics and a lot of the same words over and over, which becomes a repetitive, long process,” Brown said. “You also have to match it to the criteria of whatever school you are applying to, which is very challenging and tiring to do.”
Jesse also implied that her essay was not easywrite and what helped her through that for future seniors.
“I struggled to have the motivation to fit my life into 600 words or less. What helped me through this was to invest in what Mrs. Prange has to say. I definitely suggest going to her workshops that occur in the beginning of August or just talk to her in general,” Jesse said. “I had simple questions I was embarrassed to ask, but she answered them with ease.”
Another huge struggle that these seniors faced was trimming their college options, especially Matthew Wehling. Wehling applied to 24 schools, and regrets it tremendously.
“The best piece of advice that I could give is to limit the amount of schools you’re going to apply to. Only pick a few safeties, a few targets and a few reaches. I greatly suggest you only apply to schools you know you would like to go to, not just taking guesses,” Wehling said.
Another huge factor into applying to college is not just the process, but the locations in which you apply. Many people struggle to narrow down their options. Senior Gabby Spicuzza states that money was a big factor in her decisions and that can help in choosing what’s the best college.
“What helped me to narrow down my options was the cost of the school. Also, the amount of money that the school gave me (scholarships). I would make sure to consider how close your school is to home so you don’t spend as much on flights or a way home,” Spicuzza said.
There are over 6,000 colleges in the United States, and picking which ones fit you best can be very challenging. Kladiva wishes she knew more before applying.
“I wish I knew how to properly research colleges and what I was really looking for. I never knew how to research correctly, so I will never know if the colleges I picked to apply to are the ones that were the perfect fit for me. Therefore I suggest to all underclassmen to do the best research you can so your college will fit you perfectly,” Kladiva said.
There are things that underclassmen focus on that don’t matter as much in college and especially in the applications. Wehling said he focused too much on grades.
“When I was a freshman and sophomore, I focused way too much on grades and classes. When you’re actually applying to schools you realize it’s only one part of your application. You only have to put in your grades once and I would like to put emphasis on that iit is only one part,” Wehling said.
The last piece of advice that these seniors gave in applying to college was what you can do to really impress colleges. Wehling implies he focused a lot on trying to impress the 24 colleges he applied to.
“Make sure to focus a lot on extracurriculars, and pick at least two that you can really be passionate about and spend a lot of time with every week,” Wehling said.
