Focus on what’s important in college admissions

Focus on whats important in college admissions

Zoe Davis, Editor-in-chief

For the first few months of the school year, applying to college is at the forefront of most seniors’ minds. It is something that counselors have been talking about since freshman year, but its reality often doesn’t hit until application deadlines start approaching. And then the reality hits hard.

The college admission process can be very stressful. Students often spend a lot of time worrying about things that are too late to change, like test scores or GPA. It’s too late to join another club or attend another summer program.

There are also a lot of “if onlys”. “If only I was a different race, then my chances of getting in would be higher.” “If only my parents made less money, then maybe I would qualify for more scholarships” “If only I had legacy, then maybe I could get into my dream school.”

Many students spend time obsessing over websites that predict whether they will get into certain schools or looking at scattergrams that show data of past students who have gotten accepted, rejected, waitlisted, or deferred. They post on websites like College Confidential to figure out what their chances of getting admitted to their dream school is.

A lot of people treat the process like a competition, even among friends. Even though many elite schools boast acceptance rates of 10% or less, there is no reason to panic and bet your chances against the people who you know are applying. Many ask the ACT scores of others applying, gauging themselves over other applicants.

Although it is very tempting to try to guess your chances for admission when applying to college, it is not wise to do so. There is no set formula for getting into college. Comparing yourself to other students will only cause unnecessary stress. Instead of wishing your circumstances were different, focus on writing a killer essay or making a good impression in an interview. Don’t worry about the things that you can’t control in the process, but rather do your best to portray your who you are and what makes you unique. Doing these things will make the college application process less stressful.