Much of my high school career has been spent looking forward to the freedom and relaxation of senior year; however, when it finally arrived it was much different than I expected.
My heavily regulated senior year has been a combination of dwindling motivation and constantly having to make decisions that will affect my future. The countless questions from colleges asking who I am as a person and what I value most leave me even more confused about myself than when I started the application process.
We’re all trying to make ourselves into a pristine persona to be inspected by colleges. Unique—but not too strange; smart—but not uniform; varied—but specifically devoted; experienced out of school—but with perfect grades.
It seems like there is no way to fit any of the standards until you overhear someone in your fifth period talking about their 36 ACT. I already feel like I’ve decided my chances of getting into a university before I even start an application.
Applicants are required to present themselves to college admissions officers in a bulletproof casing of heavily padded resumes and essays that have been edited to perfection. All you can do is hope that they find you more interesting than many other deserving candidates.
The college admissions process is grueling while many are also participating in sports, AP classes, clubs, extracurricular activities and work. This stress and time constraints for all of us create a feeling of constant pressure and a calendar of overwhelming essays ahead for the near future.
I can give all of my time and energy to applying to a school I love, but the arbitrary college admissions process may deem me unworthy based on who is reading my application, who they read right before me or how people are feeling that day. It seems like it’s better to expect the worst rather than to hope for anything.
Photo by Ananya Cox/The ECHO
