To the Class of 2024…
College Application Advice from a Soon-to-Be Grad
By Naomi Bloom
MANAGING EDITOR
The senior class of 2023 is officially done with classes and is onto a week of senior activities and unwinding after four long years of high school. The rising seniors in the class of 2024 aren’t too far behind, but they have a large obstacle to overcome first, one the graduating class has already conquered: the dreaded college application process, just lurking beyond the horizon, if not already present.
However, as overwhelming as the process may appear, it does not have to be that way. A lot of juniors haven’t even started thinking about post-high-school plans yet, but now is the best time to start to make sure that you don’t end up pulling all-nighters to speed-write supplementals later on in the year. So, without further ado: to the rising seniors, this article is for you.
One simple piece of advice that I would recommend to everyone is to start as early as possible. Even if you aren’t actively working on your CommonApp essay or the actual pieces to submit, trying to figure out what kind of college you would like to attend is a good thing to identify before the end of the school year and over the summer. What size college? Close to home? Any specific majors or programs? Simply refining what kind of college you prefer makes the college application process significantly easier down the line.
Emma Pantazi, a senior, said that since applying early action to colleges increases your chances of getting accepted, it’s important to plan ahead. “Don’t wait until the first day of school to log into the CommonApp,” she said. “Fill out as much as you can over the summer.” “It will save you so much time since the beginning of senior year is often very busy for many students,” she said.
Senior Rachel Irza added that she wished that she knew more about the CommonApp platform prior to applying, so perusing the website a bit before may also help make your application smoother.
Additionally, while it’s easy to get caught up in ambitious dreams of going to an Ivy League college, it is also important to have realistic standards. Of course, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to get into an Ivy, but remember that not getting into Harvard doesn’t mean you’re any less of a student; that applies to any college, really. Senior Diya Ganesh reinforced this. “Don’t take rejections personally,” they said. “It’s gonna happen, you’re not gonna get accepted everywhere.” Especially in Andover, a very competitive town that puts a lot of pressure on students to get into the highest ranked colleges, it’s important to remember that what matters the most at the end of the day is that the college you choose to attend is good for you, academically, socially, and financially. A tip to manage this is to apply to different colleges in a range of competitiveness—safety, meet, and reach schools. On Scoir, where AHS students can explore colleges, you can see what kind of school each would be for you, based on your GPA and standardized testing scores. But, do keep in mind that even if you aren’t a great test taker, it’s definitely not the end of the world: many colleges are still test-optional, and they will take into account your other strengths, whether that be academically or in extracurriculars. “You’re unique, your values and goals are so, so important and so, so different from everyone else’s,” said Ganesh. “Use that to your advantage in your applications and be confident in who you are. Confidence is key.”
While this may seem impossible, try not to stress yourself out too much. Regardless of what your post-college plans are, you will end up in the right place in the end. As long as you work on your application a little bit each day, you’ll never have to do too much work at once. “The college application process is a lot easier than everyone will tell you,” said Panatazi. “We’re teenagers, we like to complain. Know that everything is a lot easier than everyone makes it out to be.”
But, when things inevitably become at least a bit stressful at some point, remember that there is good at the end of it! Once applications are submitted, all you need to do is wait, and once you decide, it is really smooth sailing from there. Make sure to try and enjoy the last half of your senior year to the fullest. Try to spend time with your friends and family before heading off to college, and appreciate the last few months of high school. It’ll be over before you know it.
“I have enjoyed having a schedule full of classes that I am passionate about,” said Irza. “Being able to have a lot of flexibility with courses this year has made my senior year experience super fun and memorable.”
On another note, this will be my last year here, as well as my last year as part of the ANDOVERVIEW paper. It has been such a wonderful experience, and I am honored to have been the Managing Editor this year and have the privilege of working with such a talented group of writers. It has truly been a joy, and if you are considering joining Newspaper Production, I would absolutely recommend it! Congratulations to the graduating class of 2023 and have a great summer!
