Anyone who says senior year is the best year in high school probably never experienced the first five months of the school year. We have all heard this before, but we never really understand it until it happens to us.
Last year, I watched my senior friends stress out over last minute college applications, along with all of their classes. They warned me to use Family Connection, get help from teachers, and not to wait until the last minute. Guess what I did? I waited until the last minute. Shocking.
In my case, the problem is not laziness. It’s just the amount of work that piled up and is suddenly hitting me like a train. The college application process is extremely nerve-racking, especially in the beginning when seniors are unsure of how to start.
Going into my senior year, I did not know how to apply to college; all I knew was I had to use the Common App.
I spent the first couple weeks of August putting my head together with my friends to try and figure everything out. However, most of my questions were answered with “I don’t know”.
Slowly but surely though, I figured it out and actually finished an application over the summer. Then the school year started.
To say that managing senior year homework with college applications is challenging is an understatement. It doesn’t sound that difficult, which is what I thought last year. Now that I’m actually a senior though, I realize this is no easy task.
I have a conversation about college every day, usually ranting about how stressful the process is or discussing what I wrote for essays. The question I get most often is, “Where are you applying to college?” I get that question about once a day.
Don’t completely fret though. There are people and places to help you; I just wish I knew about them earlier. Family Connection is a great place to get help for college and scholarships. The peer tutoring center also helps students with college essays during lunch and after schools on Wednesdays. There are plenty of websites online that offer help for navigating the Common Application process that can relieve some points of stress.
My best advice for all seniors and rising seniors is to try to relax about the little things. Don’t get overly stressed out when you don’t need to be. Also, it would be in your best interest if you don’t wait until Halloween night to start your applications due November 1st. Start writing essays in the summer or early in the school year. This is the best advice I can give, although I really didn’t follow my own advice.