When Hard Work Meets Deadline: Seniors Navigate College Applications

After years of preparation of classes, packed schedules, and self discipline, seniors take on the challenge of college applications and the leap towards independence and finding themselves

By: Isabella Sutherland

College application season feels like a final test after spending years perfecting their transcript and it all leads up to the moment they finally hit submit.

Thai Dinh, ’26, applied for Ivy League schools, but a lot can stop people from applying for their dream colleges as he says, “I applied to a lot of schools on the East Coast, so location didn’t really matter for me, but I really wanted a school that was affordable for me… I also applied based on fit, like how good the school was for me.”

Even if the school is affordable for people, they have to put all of the hard work in, starting with even their Freshman year, and continuing on throughout their high-school years while competing with others on extremely high levels.

When asked what he hardest part of competing on a high academic level, Dinh says, “I would say definitely standing out among the crowd in terms of academics and also extracurriculars as well… Also there are people who win a ton of national awards to really strong, extreme leaders… I guess competing in that applicant pool is very competitive.”

As the seniors are about to enter the real world, they start to become more and more responsible for their own lives as applying for colleges is a big leap towards that.

Vanessa Robles, ’26, says “[applying for college makes me] feel more responsible and getting more things done on time because it’s a big responsibility to turn in your applications and making sure that they’re all completed.”

Getting there isn’t the only hard part, as applying is stressful and a lot of time and effort.

Robles says the most overwhelming thing about applying is, “The PIQs for UCs. Just because like there’s a lot of stuff, like requirements that you have to meet. And you have to make sure that they like make sense and that they’re really good.”

Applying for college can be stressful, but if someone is there to support through the highs and lows of this stressful time of applications, it can be helpful.

Robles also says her biggest supporters are, “my parents because they’re really supportive and they’re there to help me if I need it and they’re just happy with any school that I get into.”

Even if having all of the classes and meeting all the requirements for colleges, there is still choosing.

There are over 20,000 colleges in the world, so the applicant has to choose the best fit college that they think will best suit their future plans and a person.

Elsa Wendt, ’26, says, “Choosing the right school for me is a balance of both who I am know and who I want to become. However, I’m leaning more toward deciding based on who I want to become because I know that college is a place where a lot of people learn new aspects about themselves that they never got to in high school.”

College is another place for the students to express themselves and show their identity as a person that wants to have something for their future.

Wendt says, “I’ll remember how important it is to be know my identity and story. Most of my applications have included supplementals that ask how my experiences have shaped me into the person I am today, and this allowed me to reflect on my background and how they apply to my extracurriculars.”

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