So much happens in the four years teenagers spend in high school. Students learn how to drive, take the ACT, and have more responsibility in their daily routine. Everything we do is supposed to prepare us for the “real world” after we graduate, but the future seems so far away. It is hard to imagine that next year the class of 2025 will be spread out across the country, even across the world, with each of us working toward our life goals. Some of us will be doctors, others will be mechanics, and some might even be in the military protecting our country. It is hard to believe that we are supposed to decide what we are going to do with the rest of our lives at the age of 18; this leaves many crucial decisions to think about as we get closer to our graduation day on May 18th. The pressure is on to choose a career path in a way that we have never experienced before. Until this point, teachers and family members have been saying that we have plenty of time to figure out what we want to do after our senior year of high school, but as we get closer to graduation it is crunch time.
All of a sudden, every senior’s schedule is filled with a long list of colleges, jobs, and scholarships to apply for. Many students feel the pressure to apply to 20+ colleges and fill out the Common App early in hopes that they will make it into their dream school. None of these things are bad, however, I feel like we spend too much time worrying about the number of schools to apply to instead of which ones suit each student best. Think about it this way: occasionally, students that are at the top of their class may attempt to apply to an Ivy League college. If the student is worried about tuition costs or cannot decide on a major, they might be better off at a college that provides more financial aid and still offers a good program that is more suited to their needs. Essentially, I believe that students should really consider if the colleges they are applying to would be a good fit in the long run before spending time filling out an application.
There are so many big decisions we have to make in less than a year, so do not focus too much on the minute details when applying to colleges. Who cares if you do not have backups to your backup schools lined up? If you find a college you like and are excited to go there, apply and hope for the best. Do not feel like you have to apply to 15 schools “to keep your options open” in case you do not get accepted into your top choice. Pick your top three and add a safety school or two and go from there. And if you know exactly where you want to go to school and have already been accepted, that is great too. You will not be as overwhelmed with a smaller variety of options and a few less essays to write. This does not mean that you cannot dream big. If you see an Ivy League college in your future, apply! Just consider the reason why you are applying to the schools you pick. Making decisions about what colleges to apply for does not have to be difficult; use your best judgment to pick the school you can see yourself going to and let the stress of choosing a college disappear.
