With acceptances in the air, seniors are growing increasingly nervous as college creeps closer.
Many seniors applied early decision or early action to colleges this year. As their letters arrive in the mail, others who applied on the regular deadline look on in envy. Since early decision is seemingly teeming with benefits, one might wonder why people still choose to wait.
“I wasn’t ready back in November,” said senior Spencer Grewe. “Waiting for the next deadline gave me more time to sign up for clubs and honor societies, bring my grades up, and do the whole application.”
Unfortunately, all these seniors can do now is wait until April comes around and colleges release all of their decisions. In January, many early applicants were able to give a sigh of relief as their letters came in. Regular decision kids know they won’t be hearing back in a while, so all they can do is hope for good news.
“The wait is way too long,” said senior Mei Song. “Early action people already know their decision. I’m here like ‘what about me?’”
Many students have already decked themselves out in all sorts of college gear, from bumper stickers to sweatshirts. Some have even made friends with fellow students on Facebook and picked roommates. Seniors who don’t know where they will be accepted can’t help feeling uneasy, weighing the costs of applying in January.
“I am not in the first pool of applicants, so my app will be lumped in with thousands of others,” said Grewe. “I lose the opportunity for scholarships. It’s stressful when I don’t feel particularly strong about any school, and I have less time to pay my deposit in spring, which means less time to decide.”
Nevertheless, many of these seniors are happy with their decision. Now that they have finished applying, the rest of the semester promises smooth sailing. They can sit back and relax… for the most part.
“Submitting everything is a huge weight off of my shoulders,” said senior Daniel Bonavita. “The first semester of senior year is stressful enough as it is, so it’s nice to gradually get my app done. I changed my mind a lot in the past three months, so I’m glad I didn’t commit.”
Other seniors would redo the process, but take this experience as a lesson.
“I regret that I didn’t apply early,” said Song. “I’d tell rising seniors that if it’s the college of your dreams, of course you should bind to it. If not, keep your options open. For me, hopefully the wait was worth it. I tell myself that the last three years of my high school career have led up to this. Now that I’ve done all that I can, I can finally slow down and do things that I want.”