10 reasons not to freak out when applying to college

Kylie Travers, Co-Editor-In-Chief | York-hi|September 12, 2016

There are less than two months until November 1st–the date the majority of colleges have set for their application deadlines–which means that from now until then, seniors are preparing essays, applying for financial aid and scholarships, finalizing which schools they will actually apply to, and completing many other college-related tasks. This can appear to be a stressful process, but York has endless amounts of resources to help with applying to college. It’s just a matter of knowing how and when to use them. Here is a condensed list of the top ten reasons you should not freak out about applying to college.

  1. Mrs. Thompson: The woman, the myth, the legend–Mrs. Thompson is arguably the most knowledgeable person on all things college. Her office, located in the CCRC, has all the resources you need in order to successfully apply to college. You can easily email her to schedule an appointment to discuss your application process, something she highly recommends, and she will help guide you in the right direction.
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    Senior Sydney Bonthron said, “I scheduled and went to one of the meetings where you go with your parents and sit down with her one on one. She helped me narrow down the colleges I want to apply to. When I went in, I had a big list, and she helped me narrow it down to four or five schools.”

     

  2. You have time: Two months may seem like a short amount of time, but it is more than enough time. You could work everyday for ten minutes on your essays and after 60 days you will have spent 600 minutes, or 10 hours on your essay– enough time to craft the perfect essay. In addition to this, for many colleges, the deadline is December or even January for regular decision. This gives you an additional two months to apply, making for a total four months of preparation.
  3. Community, Friends and Family: Even if you’re the first person in your family to be attending college, it is impossible to know no one who has been to college. Every teacher at York had to apply to college at some point in their lives. This means that you have a ton of people to turn to to ask questions or just emotionally help you through the process.
    Senior Samiyya Ahmed said, "Having siblings who have been through college helps me to know how to manage my time efficiently with applications and how to look for the schools. I know from my siblings that everything will be ok in the end."
    “Having siblings who have been through college helps me to know how to manage my time efficiently with applications and how to look for the right schools,”said senior Samiyya Ahmed. “I know from my siblings that everything will be okay in the end!”

     

     

  4. Don’t worry about what people think: Competition plays a large role in the application process. People tend to believe that if you have a 4.0 GPA or over a 30 on your ACT you have to go to an ivy league school. However, you can get a good education regardless of which college you go to. It doesn’t matter the level of schools you apply to or where you go. If you are happy there and are being challenged, that is all that matters. 
  5. Common App: This website has made applying to college a much smoother process in general. Many colleges have moved their applications to the common app website. This website combines all your colleges you are applying to and allows you to complete and check your progress on your applications all from one website.
    Senior Emily Locke said, "I think that using Common App takes out a lot of time for filling in basic information. Once you fill it in once, it applies to every college. It's nice to only have to do it one time, and it's all in once place."
    “I think that using Common App takes out a lot of time for filling in basic information,”said senior Emily Locke. “Once you fill it in once, it applies to every college. It’s nice to only have to do it one time, and it’s all in once place.”

     

     

  6. College Wednesdays: It is this simple: every Wednesday during lunch periods, Mrs. Thompson holds college information sessions in the CCRC. From how to send schools your ACT score to how to ask teachers for letters of recommendation, she covers it all.
  7. York’s rate of kids who go to college: Year after year, the amount of students graduating from York and heading off to college increases. If you’re scared that you won’t get into any school, don’t be! With all of the resources York has, you will get in somewhere and succeed!
  8. You can always transfer: Some people think that once you are at a college you have to stay there for four years. This is completely false. If you are a semester into college and don’t feel that college is the place for you, you can transfer somewhere else second semester. As long as your credits transfer, you could realistically transfer an unlimited amount of times and still graduate in four years. So there’s no need to worry if the school you picked is 100% right for you. Just give it try and be open-minded.
  9. CCRC Website: The links to basically anything one could need are attached on this web page. From counselor recommendation forms to a checklist of how to apply to college, it is all there for anyone’s use. 
  10. A Rejection isn’t a rejection: Senior year is not the only time you can apply to college. If your dream school is Northwestern, for example, and you don’t get in during your senior year, there is no reason that you cannot apply again the next year or the year after that. Never give up!