Hours of work and sleepless nights are the hallmarks of many kids’ college application experience. Everything done in high school is being judged by a couple of people who determine someone’s future. The work and effort it takes to get into a college is a stressful process; there are kids whose whole future depends on the way they do things. It’s a way to get out of poverty and give them a much better life than the one in which they were brought up. 

There are many issues when it comes to the admissions process and many students feel the impact of it. To start, many students feel the pressure of having to compete against so many people just for one spot. There are kids who are demoralized because they have to compete against kids that are called better than them, but really, anyone should have equal opportunity. There are so many factors that factor in the application process: test scores, grades, extracurriculars. There’s a competition to be the best and that makes it a stressful situation for people because it feels like there’s always someone who has done more. 

“The fact that everyone is mainly based on a number instead of personality is a totally flawed system since people can be intelligent but if they do bad on one of the most important standardized tests, then they are considered less intelligent than their peers. They might have a chance to get into good colleges, with these low test scores, but they are at a huge disadvantage and that’s with test scores being involved, nothing else,” stated Jeffrey Hudson, ‘20. 

“Now that I’m starting to look into colleges, this is a lot to think about. So much goes into it and, academically, I was not the best at all. I struggled and it makes my life harder looking into it. At this point, I’m better off applying to community college and saving myself some money,” replied Alexa Magaña, ‘21. 

Zach Makowski, ‘22, said, “There are too many things to consider. I have a few years left until I get to that point but if I don’t do well in class now, then there won’t be anything for me to consider. I have to do well on tests, get high grades, participate in extracurriculars. It’s stressful, it’s legitimately a stressful thing to think about and unless you have someone helping you and guiding you through the whole thing, then it will be a trip to hell for you.”

As a whole, the admissions process is a stressful time but there are more things that go into getting accepted. The thing to note from this article is that college does seem stressful, everyone is competing, but you’ll be alright and do well.