College and the Stresses

College is a place everyone is told they should go. That they “have” to go to be successful in life. According to the Department of Labor 66% of students who graduate from high school go to a 4-year college. It is something we have grown up to be a standard. As a senior in high school myself who is planning on going to college next fall, college isn’t as simple as applying and going. There are so many other factors that go into it causing stress for the people involved. 

After spending the last 3 years in high school, I never was spoken to about the details of going to college until the end of my junior year, (Granted there was COVID in the middle of my high school tenure). But from what I learned, there are thousands of colleges that you need to narrow down to about 6-10. That process also includes outside factors such as how big the school is, where it is relative to you, as well as monetary issues that need to be all configured before deciding. That’s the same deal with thousands of other students, all feeling the stress of college during this time. 

For those who aren’t in the loop with it all, admissions deadlines for most regular decision colleges are between January 1st and March 1st, meaning that most students have to have everything done and submitted in the coming months. So most students right now are all struggling to finish their college essay, cramming in SATs, and painstakingly filling out the Common App, and for those applying for early action, they are applying right now. 

In a study made by The Washington Post in 2019, they found out that about 66% of kids feel anxious or worried about not getting into the schools they applied to. After sitting down with some fellow seniors in the school they all seem to have a common feeling. Anxious, uneasy, nervous, stressed, etc. According to WHS senior Karen Snow, who is doing early action right now, so much stress comes along with it. “Well it was definitely stressful at first because there are so many steps; you have to ask teachers about recommendations, answer all the common app questions, write essays, and more.” Karen is not the only one who is stressed at times, as another senior John France tells me, “It’s been really stressful trying to get all these essays and other stuff done before the deadline.” 

Most of the seniors are participating in outside activities from the school, from working, to clubs, to sports, a lot of students participate in other activities than just school. So trying to find time to work on the college admissions process while working 20 hours a week and playing a sport can become a lot of pressure and stress on these high school students. For Karen Snow, it’s been a struggle for her to manage outside of school life. She mentioned to me, “There are nights where I have trouble falling asleep, I go to school all day and then have work from 4:00 – 9:00, and by the time I come home I have to do school work and worry about working on college stuff.”

Waltham High School has and still is playing a major role in this process. With over 10 people in the guidance office, students turn to them when they need help with the process. But sometimes this isn’t enough. From a student who wished to remain anonymous, they commented on the topic saying, “I feel as if my guidance counselor doesn’t even know who I am, and how am I supposed to meet with (them) and discuss my future when I haven’t talked to (them) in 3 years.” Although the admissions process is very stressful, students are persevering. Most of the people I sat down with acknowledged that once they get through all the worries with their college essay, SATs, and the painstakingly long Common App, the most stress-causing part of the process will be over with.