There it was sitting on the kitchen table waiting to be opened. As Nicolas Doyle, Randolph High School junior, located in Randolph, N.J., came home from school that day, he found five different packets telling him about different colleges that wanted him to apply. “Not gonna lie, when I saw those packets my stress level went through the roof,” Doyle said. “I kept thinking who will accept me? What if I don’t get in?”
Doyle currently has 5 schools he knows that he wants to apply to, but is unaware if they will accept him.
Bobby Falzon, also a current junior attendee of Randolph High School, has somewhat of a different perception of what the college process has been like for him. “I’m not really sure when I’m even suppose to be applying to school. I’m not too worried about where I’ll be going to college–I’ll end up somewhere.”
Both students have gotten their fair share of college information packets and plan on attending different college information seminars regarding the process that comes with applying.
In past years students have been testing different methods to approach what some people might call a stressful process. A handful of students chose to go to private tutors, which was the one on one method. However a group SAT course was offered that was taught by one teacher and a group of kids attended the class.
Falzon decided to take the SAT’s without any form of help because he is confident that he does not need the extra assistance.
Doyle decided months prior to start with private tutoring to achieve the highest score he could personally get.
“I always tell students that it’s important for them to take the process in chunks,” Lauren DZio, Randolph High School guidance counselor, said. “It can be an incredibly overwhelming amount of things that students need to accomplish.”
According to Dzio, test-taking is something that causes a lot of anxiety for students who are applying for colleges. For students who do hold anxiety towards testing, she recommends those students to apply to the raising amount of schools that are becoming SAT and ACT test score optional.
Different students have the various amount of approaches when it comes to dealing with the stress of applying to college.
Falzon is currently still planning out where he wants to apply to college.
Doyle is taking a different approach. He has a Naviance account, a website for high school students to organize and create a practical list of where they want to apply to college when that time comes, and also has been in contact with different colleges talking about tours and exploring different options.
“It’s important for students to be realistic about their choices, and make choices according to what would be the best fit for them academically…not necessarily what their friends are doing, etc. This is the first major life decision that many students are making for themselves, and students should be mindful of this, and empowered by it,” Dzio said.
DZio has confidence in students that they will be able to deal with the stress and different tasks at hand when the process of applying goes into full force.
