Fall is a bustling time of year. There are newly fallen leaves, invigorating sports games, and of course, college applications. The college process varies student to student. It may be incredibly overwhelming, exciting, confusing, time consuming, and a whirlwind of more emotions. The steps to applying are tedious, and students have different opinions and experiences regarding this. Many seniors are at different stages of the college process. In order to grasp what our YHS seniors are feeling about their own process, they shared some of their thoughts.
Seniors are muscling their way through their application process and college search. Some students began and ended their search early on, while some are still in the thick of it. Senior John Hopkins shares that he toured most of the schools that intrigued him at the end of his sophomore year, relatively early for college touring. He notes that one school left a lasting impression on him, saying, “the only school I have gone back to again is Tufts. I definitely want to go there.” Although John has his heart set on a school, he admits that he has felt stress during his college application process. He shares how “it [college applications] feels like a very big decision that you have to make while also tackling your whole senior year. The deadlines feel like they are piling up.” Some students, such as Anna Doughty, have ridden themselves of the stress of applying by having already decided where they will be attending college. Anna is committing to Bentley University to play lacrosse. When asked how she feels about college searching and applying, she says, “ I’m not super stressed out considering I only have one or two applications to fill out compared to my peers. I’m really lucky to have my process have gone the way it did!” Many other students are still working through their college applications. William Gardoqui explains that he is almost ready to press submit on his applications, and is making the finishing touches to his college essay. Delia Balakier emphasizes how intimidating the college process is, considering that “there are so many universities across the country to choose from.” The opinions and experiences of these students highlights that there are various paths and speeds of which seniors are applying. It is normal to be in any of these stages, and seniors are putting in the work to get their applications in before their deadlines.
Despite the immense amount of stress and time college applications take, seniors are excited about their futures once their applications are in and they hear back from their schools. The majority of seniors expressed their excitement about studying somewhere new, and exploring outside of York, Maine. John Hopkins states, “I really want to go to college near the city. I like York, a great town, but I am excited to get out of here and leave Maine.” These thoughts are echoed by Will Gardoqui. He explains, “after highschool, I am most excited to be in a new place and explore a new location.” For Anna, and others who have committed to play a sport in college, she shares passionately, “I am so excited to play the sport I love the most in an awesome new city.” Evidently, the college process, stress aside, does have a light at the end of the tunnel. Seniors are using their excitement for their upcoming new experiences as fuel to sludge through their remaining applications. Applications will be over before you know it, seniors, keep up the good work.
