A year ago around this time, I remember constantly being in a state of stress and worry about all of my senior year events as well as college applications. I know many are experiencing this same feeling as the application deadlines arrive. It also didn’t help that I didn’t have a particular preference for any school, so it made writing essays hard and choosing a school even harder. But the whole process taught me a lot about myself and the system as a whole.
- In all honesty, it isn’t THAT bad…
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Looking back at it now, if I had just budgeted my time better and had a clearer picture of where I wanted to go, it would have been a lot easier. But they always say hindsight is 20/20. I do enjoy writing, and therefore having to write dozens of essays was actually kind of fun, despite the stress of looming deadlines.
- It makes you rethink your entire existence and question yourself and accomplishments
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I didn’t have the highest test scores nor grades and for most of the schools that I applied to, I ranked in their lower 25% in my stats. I found myself staring at CommonApp reconsidering my college choices and if I should even waste my time applying to some of the schools. But I had an amazing support system of friends and family that constantly reassured me that I deserve a spot at all of those schools just as much as anyone else. I’ve made two youtube videos regarding my college applications and I’ve received many DMs from high school students who find relief knowing that someone like me with average scores got into some pretty good schools. So don’t let random calculators online determine your chance of making it to your dream school (one site said that I had a 2% chance of getting into Notre Dame).
- It can be difficult navigating it all on your own
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I’m kind of a first-generation college student, meaning that my mom did attend nursing school, but my parents weren’t very familiar with the entire process and how stressful it could be. Sometimes I had wished that they could help me in some capacity like some people I knew, but it did teach me a lot about responsibility and having complete control over my own future. I also had a mentor at my church that was an enormous help when it came to my essays, and I’ll forever be grateful.
Yeah, this whole process does suck, a lot; but I did learn valuable things and it definitely helped me to grow in my own confidence and responsibility—as well as teaching me how to manage my time better. Just know that everything will turn out just fine and that what’s meant for you will never miss you, and what misses you wasn’t meant for you.