Every fall, something changes in the senior class. The hallways feel a little busier, the library fills up earlier, and students walk around with laptops tucked under their arms. It is college application season: a time filled with stress, excitement, and a lot of waiting.
For most seniors, the process starts with one big question: Where do I want to go next year? From researching majors to endlessly scrolling through college websites, students spend weeks, even months, figuring out which schools fit them best. The most difficult part is not always choosing the colleges; the difficulty for many comes in having to talk about themselves in a reflective and meaningful way on the application. Senior Cara Abraham found this part easy: “I enjoyed the college application process. It was a chance to reflect on who I really am and who I want to become. I learned a lot about myself in the process. Writing about my injuries, for instance, reminded me of how much strength I’ve gained from my setbacks. People call me crazy for enjoying the process, but I wish I took longer filling it out because it was genuinely insightful.”
Essay writing becomes a daily routine for many seniors around application time. Between personal statements and short-answer questions, seniors often feel as if they are constantly searching for the “perfect sentence.” Some say it forces them to think more deeply than they had ever expected.
Others say the most difficult part of application season is working to find balance in everyday activities. Senior Garret Reid reflected, “The difficulty for me was maintaining my school workload and playing for the soccer team while doing the application; that made it a harder balance.”
Seniors also rely on each other. In classrooms and group chats, they trade tips, read each other’s essays, and remind one another not to panic.
Many mention waiting is the toughest part of the process. After hitting “submit”, students are left checking portals, refreshing email inboxes, and hoping for good news. Senior Ryan Dugger joked, “After submitting, I’ve checked my college portals at least five times a day.” Dugger added, “Even though I know nothing is updated, just checking the portal itself gives me relief and makes me feel proud of all the work I’ve done for that specific college.”
As time for decisions approaches, seniors know they will face a mix of emotions: excitement, relief, and maybe a little disappointment. No matter what happens, the experience teaches them something important: how to handle a big challenge and keep moving forward.
College application season might be stressful, but it is also a time when seniors learn a lot about themselves and about the futures that they are working toward.
