Finish college applications

The air surrounding the college application process is stressful, and is very often left unrecognized. For seniors everywhere, even starting to fill out the Common Application seems like a daunting task that will make or break their entire post-high school career.

While making due dates and deadlines is important, with any late comings you present ending in no payoff for countless hard work, it is essential that students applying for college take time to acknowledge themselves and put forth the best application they can.

The culture surrounding college-bound people is that the earlier you finish applying, the higher chance you have of getting into your target school. Unless the school you are applying to has rolling admissions, this idea is mostly irrelevant.

Treating a college application like it’s an academic task only creates a mindset that lacks creativity and authenticity, and instead makes you seem focused on getting it done rather than taking the time to do so.

Many students are utilizing this time to strengthen their transcripts. With SATs happening only once a month, many students are waiting to perform the best that they can and receive their scores before shooting their shot at a competitive school.

Other students are applying for Merits and awards to help back up their resumes. If a student applies, let’s say, in early August, what would such a purpose serve if they received an award for summertime community service in the first week of school?

Even for applicants applying for early decision and early action, the deadline for applications is a month away. Taking time to gauge the course of high school and one’s personal life through the beginning of the year is necessary in making this life-changing decision.

As FAFSA applications open Oct 1, it is important to take into consideration how your decisions can affect you financially. College is notoriously burdensome for those who are not conscious of student loans and scholarships.

With all, it is important to understand that deadlines are deadlines. It is irresponsible to wait until January to apply to all your schools, so you should be taking on the college process as early as possible— no matter what strain of effort that may be.

But it is important to stir up a conversation about the stress and uneasiness that comes with the application process. We are often caught up in the urgency of get it done, get it done, get it done that we neglect ourselves for our hard work and force ourselves to make fast-paced and pragmatic decisions in fear of rejection.

In times like this, it is important to pace yourself and give credit where credit is due. Yes, get er’ done, but know that it is okay to take breaks and talk about your stress with those you trust. Remember, self-care and taking on realistic and manageable tasks is more important than packing in a bunch of resume builders right before applying.

You are not alone, and even when it feels like nobody is rooting for you, many people are.