As juniors in high school grow into seniors, college comes nearer by the day, and the process of college applications becomes a constant worry for many students. Seniors Aarav Khedkar, Conner Fernandez, and Anthony Philipopoulos shed light on the challenges that college applications come with, how it affects their day-to-day life, and what they’re currently waiting on at this minute. 

Khedkar, has claimed to have applied to a number of schools. A few of which are UC Berkeley, NYU, and UT Austin Texas. He wants to pursue a career in business, and said that “Berkeley is the campus at the top of my list.”

Berkeley has been one of the finest authorities of research not only here in the U.S. but on a global scale. This campus is ranked “No. 11 in Best Business Schools”, according to the U.S. News. College campuses with status as high as Berkeley’s, the application is no joke. Many students, or former students recall their college application period as long and rigorous. Khedkar’s experience was no exception. He claims that the college application process was “probably the hardest thing I’ve had to do this year,” and said “I would spend hours trying to figure out how to start these essays.”  There are a lot of students who can share a similar perspective.  

“Honestly, the hardest part for me definitely is dealing with procrastination. You really have to just stay focused, and that was the big part for me,” said Fernandez. “It was really just the tedious work, getting the letters of recommendation, getting all my transcripts in”Fernandez is an online school student who has only applied to one school, a school that he eagerly wants to attend. 

“I’m applying to CU Boulder in Colorado, a beautiful campus.” Fernandez claimed to have been doing exceptionally well with keeping his grades up all year. His hopes for acceptance into Boulder are high. He said that “I have probably a 79% acceptance rate. I managed to bring my GPA up from a 3.2 to a 3.4. I really pulled out last year in math, I got a decent grade. I think I’m in the clear.” 

Initially, Fernandez was supposed to get his response from CU Boulder that would determine whether or not he’d be accepted on the first of February. Unfortunately, Fernandez recently said that “I got waitlisted, which really ticks me off.” Being put on the waitlist essentially means that your response from a campus is postponed for a significant amount of time. Fernandez said “I’ll be notified around May for my results, and I have to write another personal essay.” He also said that “waiting around for two months and writing a whole other essay puts way more stress and anxiety on me.”

Philipopoulos shared his point of view which sounded fairly similar to Fernandez’s perspective on waiting. “It’s rewarding in the end, but during the process it’s very stressful,” said Philipopoulos. Philipopoulos has applied to a fair number of campuses, some of which being University of Hawaii, UC Irvine, and Depaul University. He says that “I got a presidential scholarship which I will receive $25,000 if I attend this campus,” and is still undecided on attending this campus. 

Philipopoulos’s perspective especially tied into what Fernandez said when Philipopoulos discussed the details of exactly when he started college applications. He said that “it was stressful for me because of deadlines, at least for me.” He additionally said that “I started the application process mid way in between when I should’ve started and deadlines towards the end.” 

Philipopoulos further discusses how it feels when waiting for responses from various colleges. It’s clear both Khedkar and Fernandez both struggle with the anxiety of waiting on an important response from a college campus they really want to attend. Philipopoulos emphasizes the root of his anxiety. “You feel so anxious only because you want to know now. It feels better knowing now rather than later so you know exactly what your plans are.” 

College applications to many, including Philipopoulos, Fernandez, and Khedkar, is a period of overwhelming stress. All have admitted to the effects it had on them, and still to this minute, the worry of acceptance responses lingering at the back of their minds. The connection and cooperation with each other is what Fernandez says keeps him  moving forward. 

“My good friend Aarav got me through the application process. He really came through for me when I was at a point in time where I really needed a friend’s help.”