As early action application deadlines fly by, students have been slowly relieved of stress. Although the pressure to show top schools the best version of you has been lifted off everyone’s shoulders, the thought of taking this next step has put some butterflies into students stomachs. Some have expressed excitement in finding their way down this new path, while others have been feeling apprehensive when imagining a future within the college of their choice. Despite how everyone feels, it’s a fate that many of us have to face, but are we ready for it?

     When it comes to thinking about heading to college in the near future, Ipswich High School student Emily Davidson feels very positive about the new experience that lies ahead of her. After getting a multitude of early action applications out of the way, Emily feels that her stress had been relieved. She does find that “it is weird to think that out of the schools [she] applied to [she] might actually go to one of them,” but she is extremely excited at the same time. She has also been lucky enough to live independently when spending a month in France on her own, so she feels that she is ready to live away from home. Despite the fact that she will definitely miss her family, she is excited to become her own person.

     Although Emily feels ready to head into the next part of her life, she still has some apprehension, just like many others. She finds that leaving high school will actually be pretty tough, as she misses last year’s seniors every day, and she knows “that feeling will be amplified when [she is] the one who is gone.” She brings up a commonly unrecognized factor of heading to college, as many don’t think about how much they’ll miss those who are still in high school. Many of her schools are a good distance from Ipswich, which brings her some sadness, as visiting home to see friends and family will become more difficult with each mile. Even though there will be distance, Emily plans to keep in touch with all of her friends back home, whilst making friends in her new location to make the best of the change of scenery. 

     With applying for college comes multiple steps that can be very intimidating for students. Unfortunately, multiple schools across the country do not have much of an opportunity for assistance in the application process. An anonymous student participant in a YouthTruth survey mentions “I’m actually really upset that my school doesn’t do more to help their students with the scary and confusing process.” This is not a problem for this single student, but for many students across the nation. Thankfully, at Ipswich High School, we have a wonderful guidance staff that has a goal of helping every student with the perplexing process of applying to colleges. Guidance department head, Mrs. May, finds that their summer college application boot camp and going into english classes during junior and senior year has been the most beneficial. She mentions that “it helps to let students know how guidance can help throughout the intense process of applying for college” and it also helps in getting applications done correctly and in a timely manner because the counselors are there to help. Along with helping in the application process, Mrs. May believes that it is important to make sure that students are not only comfortable with applying, but also make sure that students understand the “lifestyle change” that is coming their way when they enter their freshman year of college. It’s important to be prepared leading up to getting into college, but it’s also good to know what comes after.

      With all of the mixed feelings about what’s to come for many seniors, it’s good to know that many feel the same way. It’s always okay to ask a friend how they are feeling about this big step ahead of them, as they will most likely feel the same way or will help you to feel less apprehensive if that’s how you feel. Furthermore, it is best to be aware of the help that is provided to you through guidance, as it is fortunately available to us at Ipswich High School, but not many others have this opportunity. Everyone is going through the same thing, so however you feel about college, there is always someone out there who is either just as scared as you  are, or could use a confidence boost if you feel ready.