It's college season!
Applying to college.
Why is it so hard to hit that submit button? Why is it so hard to talk about yourself? Why is it so hard to apply to colleges? Shouldn’t this be fun or exciting? An adventure?
To most seniors, applying is the most stressful part of the whole process. So many forms, so many requirements. It’s like colleges expect us to have all the answers already. They expect us to be amazing. But what if we aren’t?
What if we aren’t perfect? What if we didn’t cure cancer or find intelligent life in a far away galaxy? Are we not college material then?
It also comes down to this: What if they don’t like us?
You put yourself out there, put everything you have ever achieved out to be scrutinized and judged. You pour your feelings and personality into your personal essay, and it gets criticized. Applying to college is like jumping off a space shuttle from the border of outer space. You either die or you achieve one of the greatest accomplishments of your life.
And yet there is still hesitation. Do you want to risk it? Can you overcome that fear of rejection?
The mantra is slowly becoming a cliché. I know I have to be “myself” when speaking to colleges. But what if they hate me? What if they just hate every aspect of my being? What do I do then?
Applying to colleges isn’t easy. These feelings of inadequacy eats away at any confidence you were able to accumulate throughout high school. It eats at you until you are staying up at night revising and reviewing every single thing, trying to make it as perfect as possible. The application has to be pristine. No ifs, ands or buts. Pristine.
When will senior year really begin?
When will the fun begin?
Because this is anything but fun. The only hope we can have after this process is that instead of getting a small envelope with a letter and the words, “I’m sorry to inform you but...” in the mail, we receive a slightly larger envelope with a letter and the words, “Congratulations! You have made it into the (insert college of your choice here).”
Ah, college. It better be worth it.
Art Elmers
8:53 am on Wednesday, October 24, 2012
At each major milestone in our lives we are faced with similar questions. Will she say yes? Will I be a good father? Should we bring our children up in Fort Lee?
You are no different from anyone else. These are all part of the human experience.
Have faith in yourself. If you get into the school of your choice, great, but be prepared to accept that your choice school cannot accept everyone that dreams to go there. It is good to dream, it is good to reach for a goal. With an attitude like yours, I think you will go far.
Howard L. Pearl
9:47 am on Wednesday, October 24, 2012
The college admission process has become the most stressful time in a teenager’s life. Vying for spots at the top colleges has created a whole new market of money-making firms that are capitalizing on this fiercely competitive process. There are firms that specialize in improving SAT and ACT scores. There are consultants to assist the student in writing the best essay possible. There are consultants to help in the financial aid process and/or to access scholarships. There are consultants to advise the student as to which universities he/she should apply. And the price tags for these consultants are in the thousands.
The U.S. college application process has “sucked” any fun out the student’s senior year and replaced it with pure unadulterated teenage angst! The sad part is that, in reality, the vast majority of the best students will get into great universities in spite of this competition, but will never get to enjoy the process or their senior year of high school.