I spent so long thinking college was something that was too far away to worry about, or at the very least didn’t pertain to me until my senior year. During my junior year of high school, I was talking to a friend, a then senior about to graduate, and the only advice she gave me was to start applying, or to at least start my essay as early as possible.
Naturally, this started a panic.
I finally had to face the looming prospect of college and my entire future, which crashed down on me like a tidal wave. I felt like I wasn’t prepared, much less did I know what I wanted to do in and after college.
The application process isn’t the only stress placed upon applying students, there are so many considerations that go into this tedious process: college lists, scholarships, majors, financial concerns, and potentially leaving your home. The overall fear of the unknown can cause students to spiral, and a lot of students feel this anxiety about applications. Senior Elaine Andert talks about feeling like she didn’t partake in enough extracurricular activities during her high school career to completely solidify her application.
“Not having a good enough resumeé for colleges [is a worry]. I’m not one that stands out. I haven’t done any clubs. I haven’t locked in. I haven’t won any awards. So I kind of feel like I’m very bland, which isn’t good. It’s really hard to try and figure out ways to make yourself look better,” said Andert.
Students may come to a halt when applying because they have to consider finances. It can be hard to grasp the vast amount of money some schools cost, and for some, it’s what makes or breaks their decision to go to their dream school. Application fees, tuition, living expenses, and student loans deter many students from going to their dream school. Some students’ dreams are even put to a halt in order to avoid as much financial stress as possible. Andert mentions having to look at other options because of the financial burden her dream college would potentially place upon her.
“I plan on going to community college for two years, and then I plan on going to the University of Wyoming afterwards to study agricultural business,” Andert said. “The University of Wyoming costs like a buck and a half because it’s one of the top agricultural schools. I can’t just go because I don’t have a good GPA and I’m not rich. I kind of have to rethink my plans because I don’t want to be 55 and still paying off my college debt.”
Although college can seem so negative when looking into the future, sometimes it’s worth the leap. College opens up a multitude of opportunities, and it’s a chance to explore what one is interested in and meet people from all different walks of life whilst also helping students become more independent and responsible. Andert mentions that success is different for everyone, so it’s okay to not be so worried about what will happen in the near or far future.
“Don’t stress yourself out, because too many people are really worried about their future and really worried about if they’re going to make it and if they’re going to live a good life. Even if you don’t do the job that you want to do in life, you can still live a good life. You can still have a great family and have a great time, you just have to not think about your future in terms of ‘am I going to have a good career?’ Just think of it in terms of ‘am I going to have a good life?’” Andert said.
There are countless sacrifices made the closer a student gets to graduation. Students have to figure out how to juggle the stresses of homework, applying, afterschool activities, and jobs, which can feel overwhelming at times and makes the year feel longer than it is. The pressure of writing a college essay is also a roadblock for many, and it can be difficult to contemplate the last seventeen years of one’s life and pick one significant moment that makes you different. On top of that, it can be difficult trying to make yourself stand out without sounding presumptuous. Balancing these responsibilities and decisions can help one grow and prepare for life after high school. Senior Katie Huynh shared the many obstacles and sacrifices she’s faced her senior year.
“[I’ve made the] sacrifice of sleep. If I’m gonna be completely honest, I haven’t had a good seven hours of sleep in a long time, but I think it’s a lot of prioritizing. I use my study hall religiously. We’re really using up any free time we have to just grind,” Huynh said. “I just feel like when you have your creative juices flowing, it’s easy, but I think the hardest part for me was really sitting down and forcing myself to think and reflect back on the past 17 years of my life and put it down in 650 words. I feel like it’s just really difficult to get vulnerable with yourself in that way and to display it to admission officers and write it down cohesively.”
Not every student knows what they want to do when they graduate, so it’s not realistic for adults to expect students to know what they want to do with the rest of their life at 17 or 18; but that doesn’t mean that the echo chamber that is high school makes it any less stressful. In high school, it can appear that everyone has life after graduation figured out — even if that doesn’t include college — but most of the time, that’s not the case. Huynh is trying not to focus so much on a job or major, but something that defines her.
“I do not think that it is that important for you to know what profession you want to jump right into. I think really what kids should know or at least have a feeling towards is their own values and morals. I think if there’s one thing that you can take out of high school, it’s ‘Okay, what do I prioritize? What do I think is important?’ And then you can apply that to majoring in something or getting a job in something,” said Huynh.
