With most college applications in, and the first quarter over, all that is left for many of Blind Brook’s Seniors is to eagerly anticipate college decisions, and more. However, this application process is no easy task, and has produced a mixed bag of opinions and anecdotes for many students.
One such experience is that of senior Zachary Strauzer. When asked if he has learned much, has any regrets, and if the process was overall positive or negative, Strauzer states, “I think I was pretty proactive on my college process, I was on top of my supplements pretty early in the year and got most of them done before I came back to school. The only major thing that was difficult for me was the main college essay. I spent a little over a month going over it with Dr. Kenyon. It was a rigorous process, but overall I think it fine-tuned my writing skills as a whole, so I’d say it was mostly a net positive in that regard, despite the stress surrounding it.”
The college process can be incredibly stressful, but also an extremely rewarding and exciting process. College is an amazing time in people’s lives, and a huge milestone that high school students look forward to. It is clear why there are so many conflicting feelings surrounding this. The stress of the process is mainly due to the large amount of work, and the significance of each application. Blind Brook senior, Joshua Levy, reflected on some of the stressors of the process. Levy explains, “For me, the major stress inducer was that when writing essays, you don’t know what the person who is going to read it is looking for and how they will interpret it. For example, I may write about an experience that I had, but the admissions officer reading it may simply view my experience through the lens of the privilege that I hold. The stress was, I guess, balancing how I read this versus how someone else reads it. I also talked about my essay with Dr. Kenyon and she would always mention that I should choose words to make my essay ‘elevated and eloquent,’ and part of the challenge was picking out these words.”
You never know what the person reading your application will like. At the end of the day, the college process is not formulaic, and there are minuscule deciding factors that can make or break people’s chances of getting into a specific school. Not knowing whether or not your application will be enough is incredibly difficult. But the application process is a mix of uncertainty and accomplishment, with much to be learned from it. However, one viewpoint that most seem to share is that it’s a relief when it’s over!