Summer is almost here and so are college decisions. As decisions slowly come out, seniors are planning what they’re going to do after high school. However, the college application process was not an easy task for them this year. Due to COVID, they were not able to ease into their senior year and the pressure of being left behind in the application process was very hard on many students. So I asked some current seniors at Oakland Mills High School how the process of college applications went for them and here’s how they responded:

Adaeze Igwegbe explained to me that she felt that there were too many steps. She had to: “think of which college I’ll want to go to, research many different colleges, write essays for each school, figure out each school’s requirements, and send documents.” It was hard for Igwegbe to manage her time to make sure everything was submitted before her deadlines. In order for her to meet those dates, she made lists for each one of her colleges and made sure to reach out to her counselor for help. In the end, she believes checking everything off her list was worth it. Overall, as a student, making a list to help with upcoming assignments or deadlines to keep up with work can be very helpful. If this may seem difficult, maybe meeting up with counselors to help discuss a better plan will benefit you.

Ruth Taye felt “the year was stressful because I couldn’t easily reach out to my counselors. I had to send them emails and they would take a while to respond.” Feeling like she didn’t have many resources to use, Taye kept getting anxious about the process. Since she knew the process wasn’t going to be easy, she decided to start early in August. Starting early helped her avoid procrastination and she believes that it allowed her to have more time to figure out what she was doing. Now, she can finally relax after finishing her applications. Overall, if you know something is difficult, try your best to start it early. Trying to motivate yourself can be difficult but it will benefit you in the long run.

Foster Johnson-Lewis “struggled most with writing essays and making them sound interesting, more like a story than a boring biography.” Writing her essays was hard for her, so she decided to ask for help. She went to her mother and friends, who helped her edit her essays. At first, she started off with a draft and she added more after her friends and family gave her some tips. Before she knew it, she ended up with an essay that she was proud of. Overall, acknowledging your flaws and trying your best to improve is an important step in the process. Reaching out to others to help give you advice will allow you to grow and become more successful.

For seniors, college applications can be very stressful and time-consuming. It can be hard to get through the steps, especially if you’re doing it by yourself. The stress of upcoming college decisions and scholarships can weigh heavily on students. That’s why students need to remember to reach out for help and take deep breaths.

Always remember to take breaks, ask for help, try your best not to procrastinate, research the colleges you’re interested in, research different majors and possible careers, stay in contact with your counselor, try not to put yourself down, be confident, don’t give up, and apply to as many scholarships as possible. Good luck!