It’s finally that time of year, when students start thinking about college applications. I remember when I was a senior in high school this time of year was very stressful for me. There were so many things that I was juggling. I was worrying about standardized tests, personal statements, getting recommendation letters, extracurricular activities, and of course the regular school stuff. All of that was the perfect recipe for senioritis.
College applications were the biggest source of stress for me. The first step was deciding where I wanted to apply. I was fairly certain that I wanted to live in California. I love the weather, the beaches, and since I’m from Arizona, I liked that California schools were out of state but not too far. I decided to apply to many of the UC schools: Santa Barbara, San Diego, Irvine, Davis, San Francisco, Berkeley, and UCLA. I also applied to the University of Arizona and of course USC. The personal statements were the worst of it. Writing is something that I find very difficult so I was dreading writing the personal statements. Starting early really helped relieve some of the stress. I had time to write and rewrite until I was happy with my personal statements.
Visiting schools was another thing that relieved some of my stress and helped in the decision making process. I had the opportunity to visit UCSD, UCLA, U of A, and USC before I made my decision. It really helped to tour the campuses, see the dorms, and hear from the students at each school.
Even though fall of senior year was pretty stressful, it was also really exciting and flew by so fast.
Hopefully you’re hanging in there and haven’t given in to senioritis yet! Good Luck getting you’re applications done!
