With the first rounds of college decisions releasing, many Communications High School (CHS) seniors are celebrating their step closer to the end of the college admissions season. Parents often joke that applying to college was not this stressful during their time in high school, so how has the college admissions process changed and how stressful are applications really for teens?
In a competitive school like Communications High School (CHS), many students may feel pressured to apply to top prestigious schools rather than find a school with a good fit for their major and themselves. Last year, two seniors committed to two Ivy League schools, Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania, increasing pressure on future classes to apply to highly competitive schools.
Senior Chloe Scardino of Wall Township spoke on what guided their decision in choosing schools to apply to.
“I applied to five colleges and was planning to apply to six more, however, once I got my ED acceptance to Cornell I didn’t have to finish those applications,” Scardino said. “I ended up visiting Cornell and really loved it, so I decided to just go for it, give it my all, and see what happened.”
Typically the college admissions process is divided into three cycles: Early Decision, Early Action, and Regular Decision. Early Decision is a binding process: if you get accepted, you are committed to the school. Early Action is for students who are ready to send their non-binding applications early and find out their decision earlier. Regular Decision is often the final or only application process schools offer, with decisions released during the spring. Along with this, students also have to stress about their financial aid forms, such as FAFSA and the CSS Profile.
It’s often hard to determine which cycle to apply from. Max O’Reilly, a senior from Ocean Township, provides insight on his decision to apply Early Decision to Boston College.
“I applied to one college ED and since I got in, that is where I will be going. I have rave reviews about Early Decision and I think everyone that really knows where they want to go should definitely utilize it,” O’Reilly said. “I think the college application process can be improved by clearer and easier financial aid applications, if they found a way to streamline it more people would avoid a ton of stress.”
The competitive atmosphere of CHS, pressure from home life, and the overall stress of college applications can leave a strain on a student’s mental health.
