By: Staff Writer, Ayah Hassan
Everyone tells you that senior year is going to be the best year of your life. But many fail to mention the stress that comes with college applications. With the November 1st deadline finally passed, seniors can step back and take a deep breath.
Senior Ariella Schulterbrandt feels that “It’s a relief. It’s a complete relief, now that college applications are officially over” for her. Senior, Kaitlin Anderson, adds on, saying that now she “can go to bed early” instead of staying up late at night applying for colleges.
Unfortunately, college applications aren’t over for everyone. “I’m still doing regular action colleges”, senior Mischa Nowrangi explains. “I just have to do that and then I’m done.” Regular decision deadlines typically range from the beginning of January to the end of February depending on the college.
Students who submit their applications by the November 1st deadline are either applying for early action or early decision. The difference between the two is that while early decision is binding, early action means that students hear back sooner and have a slightly improved chance of admission. A student can only apply to one early decision college due to the binding agreement you are making. Agreeing to this means that if accepted to that school, you will be attending it. Early decision increases the chances of getting into a school, so it’s a good idea if you are applying to a dream school.
Although students still have assignments to complete in their classes, college applications are one big task that many can now check off of their to-do lists. Not only do seniors have less stress over, but most of them have a lot more time in their schedule for activities that they enjoy. Some plan to take on new hobbies or go back to things that they were able to do before being preoccupied with college applications. Kaitlin expresses her excitement to use her time to “cook and bake” and spend more time with her friends.
Now it’s time for the hardest part of the college application process: the wait. Even though there is more time in many senior’s schedules, sometimes the most difficult part is not knowing what colleges you did or did not get accepted into. The number of colleges that people apply to ranges. This may depend on how far they’re willing to
travel, their majors, or the number of colleges that pique their interests. Senior Katie Lee says that she applied to “five colleges” and plans to “major in elementary education”. Senior Dara Asante applied to “25 different colleges” and plans to major in musical theater. “The process is long and hard,” she relays. Dara explains that in order to apply for a musical theater program, in addition to the standard college application, a separate application must be completed. “Even if you get accepted into the school itself, that doesn’t mean that you are accepted into the theater program.”
The school counselors have guided many students throughout the application process. One of River Hill’s school counselors, Mr. Vangeli, articulates his relief that the November 1st deadline has finally passed. “I would say the biggest challenge is meeting with the students and going over their essays,” he remarks. “[The students] put a lot of hard work into the essay and I’m critiquing them and saying (in some cases) [that they] need to go back and make some changes.”
College applications are undoubtedly a stressful and time-consuming process. Even if you are still in the process of applying for colleges, it is important to take some time for yourself. Self-care is important, so go buy yourself that Crumbl cookie, sleep in, go out with your friends, bake a cake. A lot of people are going to ask you about college, where you’re going, your major, and your SAT score. Don’t let that stress you out. You don’t have to have it all figured out now, you have the rest of your life to figure it out.