The most stressful time of the year for seniors has quickly come about and it is time to submit college applications. Trying to differentiate yourself from the other applicants can be difficult. The dreary deadlines and requirements are becoming overwhelming for many students.
For some students the process can be less stressful if they have committed to a college for athletics. One student at Hudson High School, Paige Sutton, has committed to Eastern Michigan University for lacrosse. She has expressed that her process has differed from other students, “I didn’t really have to apply. Well, I did, but it’s just like, once you’re committed, they have through the admissions office the list of all the committed athletes. So you apply like a regular student, but basically you’re going to get admitted into the school no matter what really happens.”
With the load taken off on the application process, Sutton decided to focus on getting into the Honors College at Eastern Michigan University. Sutton expressed what she considers her biggest stress is while trying to get into the honors college as, “keeping my GPA up enough so I can still get admitted to there.”
She describes her motivation for getting into the Honors College comes from it “fully covering academics at Eastern”. And with her partial scholarship from athletics and an academic scholarship she explained that her tuition would be “basically fully paid.”
A major part of college that causes stress when determining where to apply to is the financial factor. Using information from collegedata.com, “[s]ome colleges meet 100 percent of a student’s financial need. But many colleges do not have the resources to do so, and instead meet only a percentage.” This factor can deter students from applying to colleges that suit their interests.
Data from the Princeton Review polled more than 14,903 college applications and found that, “[a] majority of high school students also said they are now applying to colleges with lower sticker prices. Another third said they were applying to colleges closer to home.”
In comparison to Sutton, another student, Ava DiGiacomo, has not committed to a school and her application process looks more like many other students of Hudson High School.
DiGiacomo describes her most stressful part of the application process as, “the essay because it has taken me months,” as well as this she shared that the process for her is “very stressful and it just takes a long time.”
This is a problem many students face and finding time to complete the many different fields of college applications or the Common App can be overwhelming.
The overbearing stress of college applications can even deter students from wanting to go to college entirely. According to eab.com, “nearly one-third (28%) of high school students who are currently applying or considering applying to college cite mental health concerns as a reason they may choose to delay enrollment or opt out of college entirely.”
This survey was taken in September 2023 from grades 9-12 and was completed by 6,330 students. The number of students opting out of applying and attending college is growing due to a decline in their mental health.
One way that students may find some of the burden of the process is taken off is by connecting with their guidance counselors for help in their application process.
Jennifer Chadima, a guidance counselor at Hudson High School, expressed how she has been able to guide her students to complete their applications.
Her role includes providing junior and senior meetings where the, “legwork leading up to selecting a college and all of the factors to consider when determining what schools you’re going to want to apply to,” is discussed. Chadima believes that one of the most overwhelming parts of the process is that, “[a] lot of times we don’t know what we want to do right when we go to college,” and that “students are balancing a lot with their schedule.”
Chadima shared that the college path is not for everyone, “not everyone is going the college route now.” Her job is “making sure they have the tools if they want to apply.” While going through this process, Chadima reminds students to regulate their stress and “[find] ways to give your brain a break.”
If you are a student and you are feeling unsure of whether or not what you are doing is correct, or if college is even the right path for you, know that you are not alone and there are resources like guidance counselors and students similar to you who are there to support you throughout this process.
