College is a stressful topic for most students approaching their senior years of high school. It is one topic that we avoid until we are forced to not avoid it any longer. It becomes a stressor and a responsibility, on top of the rest of life’s stresses and responsibilities that we are faced with daily. Nothing slows down; it just continues to pile on until it becomes the most unmanageable that it could. 

High schoolers all deal with stress differently, but most of us deal with the stress of college and the applications in very similar ways. According to an article entitled “High Schoolers Dealing With College Stress,” written by Arizona State University Admissions Office, a lot of us face fears of rejection, the decision, leaving our homes, the finances, and our abilities as adults alone without the support system we are used to. They are all fears that are new to us, introduced upon by the idea of college, and for most students, are fears and stresses we have not yet had to cope with. These fears cause some students to neglect the act of caring for themselves, in order to have more time to apply to college and get the rest of their schoolwork done. 

Elizabeth Linkletter, a senior in Ipswich High School, has been kind enough to share her experience in applying to colleges this year, and what she has been faced with. Despite grades being a huge deal when it comes to applying to colleges, students have had slips in their grades. When presented with the question on whether or not her grades have slipped, she expressed that they have “a little.” Although, she was also honest about how much added stress is now put on her with having to pay attention to college admissions. Normally in school, stress is at a minimum. Assignments are manageable and tests are a normal aspect of learning that seem pretty understandable. There is enough time to prepare for everything that is coming our way, but in the college application season, that time diminishes to almost nothing. Most students do something after school that occupies a lot of their time, and instead of coming home with time to do their homework, they are coming home and having to spend their time applying for college, and that homework becomes a low priority. Sometimes the homework ends up not getting done, or their sleep is compromised for it. 

First generation college students have it even worse in some aspects. At Ipswich High School, only 11.3% of students are first generation college students. I am one of those students, and my experience has been a little rough. Not having a lot of people who you can connect with makes you feel very much like an outcast and misunderstood. It created an idea in my mind that I was not supposed to be there, and I was not supposed to be doing those applications because I did not understand how or what I was doing. I decided talking to Mrs. Powers, an IHS guidance counselor, would be my best option in figuring out the stress. 

Anxiety also becomes a huge factor in the application process. Mrs. Powers sees a lot of students with high levels of anxiety in her office. In a range of different topics, including the anxiety of not knowing what they want to study, not knowing where they want to go to school, and then the anxiety of waiting for the decision, and seeing other people get into schools while you are still waiting. A lot of students begin to diminish their achievements, and do not see themselves as successful as they truly are. Mrs. Powers expressed, “There is a lot of anxiety around not knowing where you want to get in.” Students are faced with a lot of issues when it comes to managing their time and their college applications.

Furthermore, the school could easily combat this. Having a day, during school, where students can get help from teachers and can get their essays read and edited, and can work on getting any supplementary questions that their colleges may require completed, would be very beneficial. It would allow the first generation students to feel like they fit in and would possibly allow them to connect with other first generation college students and make them feel like they belong and there are people they can relate to. It would give students time to make sure their applications are correct and nothing is forgotten, while not infringing on their time outside of school to get work, sports, and other various activities they may have. Students need the help, and sometimes it seems as though they are not cared about or forgotten about. Prioritizing their mental health is the most important thing for schools to focus on, and starting with a day for students to get application assistance is a big step forward.