Applying to College 

Pictures by: Caitlyn Onato 

Applying To College 

Many students have a lot of questions when it comes to college. Some of you might have questions about applying to the college of your choice and the steps to take when you apply to college. Some students out there find it intimidating in regard to the topic of college. College is very important to many students out there because you’re planning for your future education, career, and life. Some students question what to look for in a college. Some advice that Connor gave; “look for a college that has your major/ field and choose a college that is suitable for you.” If you are the type of person that doesn’t like big schools or big classes, you should probably choose a college that has a decent class size and especially a student-to-teacher ratio. There are many steps when it comes to applying to college. For those of you who are curious about college and applying, Ke Ali’i has this article here to help you.                                                                      

    No one said applying to college would be easy, especially if you are doing it independently. When it comes down to the process of applying to college, there are many things that need to be covered and revised. It starts from choosing your college and applying to your college, getting letters of recommendation from counselors, teachers, or coaches, college essays, revising your applications, and applying for FAFSA scholarships. Many students stress out a lot about their college essays. Students dread writing essays especially when it comes to their personal college essays because it becomes more of a hassle for students. Many of them worry about if their essays are good, if they answer the prompt they are writing about, and if it is eligible to be read. Letters of Recommendation are another stressful part of applying to colleges.  FAFSA and scholarships are another part of the process when applying to college. Not many people talk about FAFSA and scholarships, but some of your questions could be answered here in this article.

I chose two fellow classmates of mine who are seniors; Connor Angoco and Katelyn Yang. Connor and Katelyn are both hardworking students who put an endless amount of time into their AP classes and honors courses. Connor and Katelyn will tell you their experiences when it came to applying to the college of their choice. Connor and Katelyn went through the process of applying to college, which some of you might be doing in the next year or two years. You will see the amount of effort, time, and struggles involved when applying to college. They will give you a lot of information on what they did from ninth grade to where they are today. Connor and Katelyn will take you through all their hard work, focus, and dedication put into their four years of high school. They will also point out their mistakes and their opinions on what they would have changed for themselves to help and benefit you. 

Connor and Katelyn mentioned, “it’s not easy when applying to college because it takes a lot of time”.  Ke Ali’i asked what they did when they both started their high school years. For Connor, he mentioned that “studying your butt off and working hard will help you a lot when you move throughout your high school years. As for Katelyn, she said that “maintaining your grades and studying will eventually pay off.” Extracurricular activities are what many students participate in to be part of the school community. Connor and Katelyn both agreed, “putting yourself out there and involving yourself with different clubs will help you with your time management”. Time management is what some students struggle with. Eventually, throughout your years, you will learn more about it.

Returning to the main topic of this article, I asked both Connor and Katelyn if it was easy or hard when they applied to the college of their choice. Connor said, “it wasn’t easy applying to college especially when I was doing it on my own. It took a lot of time out of my day to apply to multiple colleges”. Katelyn mentioned, “you should have a specific day or weekend to put all your time in when you apply to your colleges”. They both said that “they had struggles when it came to filling out their applications, such as their college essays.” This year, Mr. Higa helped us out with our college essays. Mr. Higa proofread every senior's college essays. Connor and Katelyn said, “they were very grateful and happy that Mr. Higa helped with our college essays because we would not have been able to do it on our own.” One major thing that would have changed was starting a lot earlier. They mentioned that “applying late made it a lot more stressful”. They are encouraging you to stay on top of your applications and not wait until the last minute. One opinion that they give as well is, “study hard, focus, and maintain your grades”.  

Ke Ali’i hopes this article about applying to college would help students who are beginning to enter the process of college. Ke Ali’i hopes many students who have read this article find it helpful and interesting. As for me, I had hard experiences when applying to college and I was scared because this was something big that will have an impact on my future. I think having other students' experiences and opinions may help the students who are planning to apply to their choice of college in the next year or two.