Surviving the College Applications Scramble

The number of college applications has increased 150% over the last two decades, even though the number of students graduating from high school hasn’t changed much. 

Maybe this is why seniors are feeling so stressed.

Some students are finding ways of making the process less intimidating.

The option of applying without test scores was a huge help for Senior Caleb Berns.

“I applied test optional, so that definitely made it a lot easier and not having to worry about submitting an ACT or an SAT was definitely a big stress reliever,” he said.  

The essay process was quite simple for Berns due to the topic he chose.

“My essay came fairly easy to me. I found a good prompt that I liked and wrote about something that had to do with track, so that was pretty good for me,” he said. “I also had good extracurriculars, so the process was fairly easy for me.” 

Several BHS seniors said it was important to start thinking about the process early.

“I made sure that I got my essay done in the summer,” Berns said. 

Berns also recommends that underclassmen work hard throughout high school. 

Although Berns faced a decent amount of stress throughout this process, the people around him kept him going. 

“I have good friends around me, definitely keeping a good support base and my family was also very supportive of course so definitely having good people around you is a key to staying composed during the process,” he said. 

Berns is excited for what’s to come in the future.

“I’m excited to go to college,” he said. “At the beginning of high school, everyone’s excited to be there because it’s a whole new atmosphere, but after four years and you’ve applied to colleges, it’s a whole new chapter in your life, and I’m definitely excited to get on with it.”

The choice of where Berns wanted to go was very easy for him. 

“I knew where I wanted to go initially, and that was Ohio State,” he said. “I’ve always grown up an Ohio State fan, so it was kind of a simple choice, but I like that it’s in state and not too far away. I’m a big sports guy and I love the atmosphere on game days, and of course the education is really good.” 

The application process was a breeze for senior Vincent Crenshaw.

“When choosing where to apply, I did a lot of research on the qualities that each school has and went from there,” he said. “I looked online at how much each school costs, the strengths of the programs, and the community.”   

The stress can be weighty, but seniors report feeling great when they’ve completed the process.

“I got in everywhere I applied to so far, that feels really good and was definitely surprising,” Crenshaw said. “Now that I’m done, it feels a lot easier because there’s no pressure anymore since I’ve submitted everything.” 

“I just have to see how everything ends up,” he added. “I managed the stress by just believing in myself and thinking that I did enough during High School to be strong in my application.” 

Like many graduating seniors, Crenshaw feels bittersweet emotions. 

“I am definitely excited that I get to go out and explore new things, but also I liked Beachwood, so that was cool,” he said.

Crenshaw recommends focusing on the things that make you happy in high school rather than stressing about the future.

“Don’t spend too much time thinking about college,” he said. “Do things that you’re passionate about and want to do.”

Although he has not committed yet, Crenshaw says he could see himself at the University of Chicago. 

Senior Sepanta Entezari emphasizes the importance of research when choosing where to apply. 

“It helps to know what you may want to do when you’re older so you can look up what schools would be best for you and what you want to major in,” she said. “When I applied, I looked at the student life and the type of people I would be surrounded with, the opportunities I would have at school, [as well as the] location and the weather.”

Even though the process is not always easy, Entezari discusses what was difficult for her.

“A lot of people get their personal essays done before August, but you don’t know the supplemental questions until Aug. 1st,” she said. “So throughout the year, you’re basically writing essays and doing interviews along with the rest of your school work. It just gets annoying to handle it all. I just tried to delegate it and stay on top of things.”  

The most stressful part for Entezari was finding the perfect match. 

“The most stressful part honestly was that once you hit senior year you realize that you are going to be living where you pick for the next couple years, so you really have to put yourself in it instead of just thinking about it,” she said. 

Seniors manage the stress in different ways. Entezari turns to her friends. 

“It’s really good to surround yourself with friends who are going through the same level of the process as you because I have a lot of friends who have spent a lot of time on their applications and some who spent barely any,” she said. “ It’s really good to find a friend who is actively working through it so you can talk to each other and take breaks with each other because it does get very difficult, and you will want to talk to someone who understands.” 

The emotions are starting to become real for her. 

“Everyone throughout high school is excited to leave for college and start a new chapter,” she said.“I never thought that I would get homesick, but once you hit the end of Senior year, you start to realize that you’re leaving your friends and even the people who you may not be friends with but still see everyday. It gets sad to think about how you won’t be seeing them anymore.” 

Entezari emphasizes that too much stress can be unhealthy.

“I would tell students who will go through this process in the future to not completely overwork yourself to the point where you are drained, because in the end we all get the same diploma and then we branch out into our different lives,” she said. “Don’t compare yourselves to other people because the name of the school really doesn’t matter, and everyone goes to college to get an education as well as work towards goals, and most likely we will all get there in the end.” 

Entezari has not committed yet and is still waiting to hear back from several schools but is excited about potentially going to the University of Pittsburgh. 

Advice From a Counselor

Counselor Liz Osicki explained that a big part of the job of the counseling department is to help students navigate the college process.

“We meet with everyone when we’re talking about scheduling,” she said. “Some of the questions we’re asking are, well, do you know what you want to major in? And, and every year I say, it’s okay if you don’t, but if you do have an idea, there are classes we can point you towards.”

“There are also summer opportunities we can recommend, and internships we can point you to,” she added.

Osicki identified some of the common mistakes she sees students make.

“I think the first one is… not really knowing why they want to apply to a school other than it looks good,” she said. “So the pitfalls I see are students not really looking into these schools to figure out why they might want to go there and just applying kind of just because.”

Osicki says more students in this year’s senior class are taking a non-traditional approach.

“We’re seeing a shift where some students are choosing to take more time to figure out if college is their next step,” she said. “So they might be going to a community college first to help them decide what they want to actually study and then maybe transfer later.” 

Osicki emphasizes that the name of the college is not important when finding the right fit.

“Students are really sometimes caught up in the big names of schools,” she said. “When I ask why they [picked that school], they say because it’s ‘blank’ school, but they haven’t really done the research. It sounds awesome when they hear of it, but they really have no idea if it’s a good fit for them.”  

Osicki feels that growth is important throughout the high school years. 

“The biggest regret I see when students apply is [that they did not take] freshman year more seriously and regretting that their GPA isn’t where they want it to be,” she said. “I try to explain to students that colleges look for growth. They know freshmen need time to adjust to high school and to get used to high school level expectations.” 

Osicki really wants everyone to take the time to make the right decision for themselves. 

“Nationwide we’re seeing a shift toward [more students considering] not going to a four year school,” she said. “[They are more likely to consider] a trade school or a two year school, it might be a four year school eventually, but not right away. And that’s okay.” 

“It’s okay to take time to figure out what you actually want to do before you invest all this time and money into a four-year degree without really knowing what your reasoning is for that,” she said. “So take your time to really figure that out for yourself, and it’s okay to delay that if you need time.”