November for high school seniors isn’t quite so sweet. While it is the season for cozy sweaters and warm lattes, it’s also the season for college applications.
Early Action and Early Decision deadlines are looming. Students from all corners of the country are glued to their seats, worrying about their essays, letters of recommendation, and their uncertainty about the future.
According to College Application Stress: How Students Cope by College Rover, the emotional and academic toll of this period is immense.
Students have typically taken multiple AP courses, after-school activities, and have personal lives with which they are trying to balance, all while writing essays that capture their “true selves” in a scant 650 words. The threat of missing deadlines and failing to distinguish oneself among the thousands who apply only increases the tension.
Most feel burnout, fear, and even imposter syndrome, which is the persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved, in that they question if the years’ worth of effort were enough.
The Los Angeles Times High School Insider presented the same student perspectives in Opinion: “College application season brings stress and high hopes. To one senior, the process was ‘living in constant countdown mode,’ and for another, ‘it feels like your whole future depends on the next few weeks. ’
We can hear in these remarks the communal experience among the seniors struggling with applications, but also with identity and self-worth in the competitive environment.
November, in my experience as a senior, is like running a marathon in sprint mode. From comparing application lists with friends after school to editing essays at midnight, it’s incredibly easy to get overwhelmed.
In all the craziness, however, there are some imposing glimpses– teachers with advice at lunch, parents editing papers, and friends celebrating each other when submit buttons are finally pressed.
Experts recommend balance as the remedy for dealing with stress. It’s necessary to have realistic goals, take breaks, and discuss openly if one is anxious. Counselors also inform students of their values in where they get in, but also in the effort and progress they’ve demonstrated throughout high school.
When December arrives after November, most seniors can finally catch their breath. Even though the uncertainty of the admission decisions still exists, so does the pride, the recognition that they’ve faced one of the most difficult aspects of the college process head-on.
Ultimately, “College App season” isn’t really about just the applications; it’s about grit, collaboration, and learning to handle pressure in the kind of way that prepares students for the real world after high school.