College applications are F.U.N.; frustrating,

useless, and not it

By Selene Dalinis, Reporter and Eva Nelson, Reporter

Throughout school, college has always been thought of as the main end goal that happens after high school. It has been something that many people strive for when doing extracurriculars and signing up for advanced classes in order to challenge themselves. This is important, but many students feel stressed by the overwhelming process of applying to colleges and planning for post high school life.

Reese Thompson, a VHS senior, gauges the level of college application stress throughout the senior grade.

“I’d say the majority of senior students are pretty stressed out about the whole process because it’s just so much,” Thompson said.

Thompson expands on how she feels the stress is magnified when put on top of other responsibilities.

“We’ll have after school activities [such as sports and work] and so we have to manage that as well as our senior year schedule with all of our classes and all of our homework,” Thompson said.

Arianna Vickers, a member of the class of 2022 and a current freshman at the University of Washington, recalls the process of college applications.

“I definitely had a few breakdowns; the process as a whole is very stressful,” Vickers said.

The pressure surrounding college is present in more places than applications. Jessica Levin, a VHS senior, reflects on her past three years of high school, and the pressure she’s felt about college.

“I’m sure if I didn’t have the stress of like, ‘Oh my god, I need to get into college’… I would have enjoyed high school more. I would have done less [extracurriculars] and maybe even [been happier] because I wouldn’t have been so overwhelmed,” Levin said.

Thompson agrees with Levin about work overload due to pressure. Schoolwork and sports are already a big commitment, and students feel that extra classwork can get overwhelming quickly.

Teachers frequently recommend taking AP classes, as well as honors, telling their students that they will look good on college applications, regardless of how students feel.

“I’m currently slightly regretting the ones that I’m taking because it’s so much,” Thompson said.

Although many find this process very stressful, the counselors are here to help and are a valuable resource to note.

“I hope that we give the message enough that very few people have it figured out when they’re 17 or 18,” VHS counselor Tara Vanselow said.

Vanselow works with students who are making these tough decisions regarding college and post-high school plans. She also helps students go through the process of applying to college, so she is knowledgeable about how it can affect students’ mental health.

“It’s not a binding decision, you know what I mean? You don’t have to have it all figured out at this point in your life. We’re just trying to help people get to the next step,” Vanselow said.

These stresses are not only caused by the application process, but also when students are figuring out what they want to do in college, or post college.

“College is definitely hard… the workload is definitely larger and there’s lots of other components as well. Overall, it’s a huge transition,” Vickers said.

In high school, people frequently stress about college, but students feel those stressors continue throughout college as well. This is agreed upon by other university students.

“Adjusting to living on campus, trying to balance my extracurriculars and friendships, and dealing with very varied types of professors has been a bit harder than I thought it would be,” Tori Hu, a member of the class of 2022 and a current freshman in college, said.

Despite all the overwhelming aspects, it is also important for students to remember there are many options other than college when it comes to steps after highschool. Some people prefer to attend a four year college and have the typical college experience, whereas others want to attend community college, take a gap year, or do something else. Due to the extensive options, steps after high school can be a stem of tough decisions for students to make.

“There are a lot of choices that sometimes people don’t explore. So we do spend a fair amount of time with our 11th graders kind of talking about what do you want to do and here’s all your options and what are the pros and cons for these different options,” Vanselow said.

Vanselow emphasizes working with students to make sure they are confident about their post high school path.

“A lot of people go to college as incoming freshmen and then they’re like what you were saying you work all this time to get there, and you get there, and you’re like what am I doing?” Vanselow said.

Vickers feels that, in the end, a lot of the college application process is luck.

“One thing to tell people applying to colleges… to not take the decisions they receive personally, because they are not at all a reflection of you as a person!” Vickers said.

For many throughout the college application process, pressure from teachers and parents can be hard to handle. Though college can be a solid option, it is important to reiterate that for some people, it isn’t the most important path.