A look at the college application process

All across the US, many seniors are preparing for school life after high school. Students are looking for colleges, applying to colleges, and applying for scholarships. But just how easy is this process?

In the junior year, many students begin to think about where they should go for college and what they want to study. This can be a very long process since it can be hard to narrow things down to figure out what you want to do. Bailey Farthing, a junior at Galileo, says that “it's really between taking a gap year or going straight to college,” when asked what their plan is after high school. Abigail Timm, a senior at Galileo, says that “There're some [colleges] I've found that have piqued my interest and I've been researching them to narrow down my options.”

In the senior year, students start applying for colleges and for scholarships. This can be a tough task to do since it is basically gambling with whether or not you will be accepted for it. If you get accepted, then it is a wonderful thing to happen and you can move on in the college journey. However, if you do not get accepted, you’re back to the drawing board.

Haley Youngs, another senior at Galileo, says that “it is very stressful and confusing,” and that figuring out what schools to apply to that I actually have a likelihood of getting into,” is confusing as well. “I haven't necessarily started because I plan on taking a gap year to travel Asia,” says Da'Vier Montague.

There is a debate about whether or not having students choose their careers at this age is beneficial for them. Some people think that choosing it at this age may not be the best idea since ideas are still forming and changes may happen to their interests as they get older. While this is true for many students, many students also know for sure that they want to do a certain thing. For example, one of my friends knew that she wanted to be a vet since she was little. However in my case, I bounced around different career ideas multiple times in a span of a year, and only recently had I finally settled on one idea.

Haley Youngs said that “...we still have little to no experience in different careers so how do we know what to choose,” in terms of if choosing careers at this age is beneficial for the student. Abigail Timm also says “I think that the school system should also promote other ways of training to enter a career, rather than just whirlpooling every student into college, because that gives them the impression that college is the only way of moving forward.”

Choosing careers can be hard, but it can feel nice to finally work a job that you really enjoy. My advice is to not choose a career just for the money. Choose a career on what you love to do and know you will not reach a burnout, especially if it is based on a hobby you love (to avoid hating your job and your hobby).