Starting their last semester in high school, many seniors just started working on college applications or alternative career plans. This process can be very stressful for some students, as they make important life decisions that impact their future.
There are many components in an application, and it can be difficult trying to navigate all of the pieces and deadlines, especially if a student applies to multiple schools at the same time.
“I faced problems with trying to send my SAT scores, not knowing what’s going on in my student portal and trying to meet my stressful deadlines,” Senior Lauren Nyugen said.
Part of this busy season for seniors involves the decision process, which includes multiple options and self-awareness to know whether a secondary education, or heading straight to the workforce is best.
“I’m not going to apply to any colleges soon; I will apply in a few years though,” Senior Elena Wright said. “I don’t need to go to college immediately, because I want to be a flight attendant. I’m going to [study] chemical engineering, after saving up money by becoming a flight attendant for a few years.”
There are some seniors who are set on what they want to be and where they want to go, making the application process smoother for them.
“I’ve applied to Virginia Tech, University of Virginia (UVA), and West Virginia University (WVA). I’ve known I wanted to go to school in Virginia since freshman year. I want to major in biology because I want a job in Premed,” Senior Claire Ruscello said. “I always felt like my essays and writing feel short in the word count, so I had help from people who reviewed my work to make it better.”
However, there are still seniors who haven’t started their application process yet.
“I haven’t applied to any schools yet, but I definitely am going to soon,” Senior Jersey Vance said. “There’s a lot of different options. I know I want to stay in state so I’m looking at Texas Lutheran College because they are interested in me and keep sending me mail.”
A lot of questions come up amongst students who don’t know what to do with their applications or how to get transcripts and letters of recommendation, which is what the College and Career Counselor Sharlene Kahlich, is here for.
“I’m not too worried about my college applications because I can always ask Mrs. Kahlich for help,” Vance said.
On top of the college applications, seniors also have to apply for external and internal scholarships and financial aid.
“I’m applying for financial aid as well as many scholarships, so that I have less debt and student loans when I graduate,” Nyguen said.
The application season happens every year, and each graduating class must go through the process; however, many seniors feel like they are in the deep water and don’t know where to start or what to focus on.
“My advice to people starting their applications would be to find people who care about you to write you recommendation letters,” Ruscello said. “Make a calendar and work on it a little everyday so you don’t stress yourself out.”
Overall, seniors are figuring out what they want to do with their life post high school and working on making sure their applications are top-notch. College & Career counselor Sharlene Kahlich can be contacted by through email, stopping by her office in A146, or scheduling a one-on-one appointment through the counselor’s page on Canvas.