Lauren Doherty, Reporter
@ldohertycourant
In addition to balancing a social life, school, and extracurriculars, seniors across the country are faced with the burden of college applications. Seniors are struggling to find techniques to reduce their stress.
Senior Lauren Deligtisch said that she is near the end of her college applications, with many of hers being due on November 1st. “I think not knowing where I’m going is stressful,” she said. Throughout her application process, she has found that the most important technique to reduce stress is to stay focused on yourself. “Something I wish someone told me before getting into the process was to not compare myself to others,” Lauren said.
As a student with an older brother to look up to, senior Georgia Stewart says that while she still feels stress, she is more confident in the process because she knows it can be done. Georgia works hard to manage her stress appropriately. “I just don’t think about it, and then on the weekends, it’s all I think about,” she said. “I still get a little stressed, but it’s a normal amount of stress.”
Senior Emma Uzgiris just finished her first three college applications. She has found that the best way to reduce her stress has been to find a balance and ensure that she is still enjoying her senior year. “I try to make time for the things that I like to do,” she said. “I make sure I see friends and don’t go crazy by isolating myself and only spending my time on my applications.”
Career Center Coordinator, Susan Carroll, has guided students for years through the college application process. She has witnessed the stress around college applications firsthand and her biggest piece of advice is to not overthink it. “Concentrate on the parts you can control,” she said, “It’s really what you are going to do when you get on the campus that matters way more than the name of the school.”
Ms. Carroll believes that the resources offered at the Career Center are a great way for students to help control the stress of college applications. “I do a lot of work around mock interviews, and I think it is wonderful when students take advantage of the things that are offered at the high school to help them be more comfortable with the whole application process,” she said.
Ms. Carroll said it is important to relax and enjoy your senior year, because it only happens once. “Somehow high standards seem to equal stress, and it doesn’t have to be that way.”
