By Jack Egan
Photo by Jack Egan
As the Class of 2026 finishes up its college applications, a central question hangs over the experience for many seniors: Is the process designed to benefit students or colleges?
If the process is designed to uplift students, is it working? Do students feel they have enough time to weigh their options and decide according to where they know they’d thrive? Steps have been taken to ensure a mutualistic relationship between students and the colleges they apply to or attend, but as someone going through the process, I feel there’s always room for improvement.
One common issue students report is the pressure to stack their schedules with extracurricular activities to improve acceptance chances. Students Evaluate Pressure to Engage in Extracurriculars Over Summer Break, a survey published by The Standard, found that “over 70% of students said they feel pressured to participate in extracurricular activities over the summer solely to enhance their college applications.”
While it is reasonable for competitive colleges to seek socially experienced students, it also creates unrealistic expectations and unnecessary stress for future first-year students.
Along with extracurriculars, most colleges offer the Early Decision and Early Action application options for students to submit their applications early and receive the college’s decision early as well. But for many, applying early only adds pressure to an already demanding academic year.
Cole Finkelstein, a senior at The Willow School, agrees.
“For me, the most stressful part of the college application process has been balancing college application work with school work,” Finkelstein said. “It is difficult to maintain a strong GPA while planning for your future.”
Although there may not be a practical solution to this issue, it is worth highlighting that applicants often feel overwhelmed in early school months because of the decision time-frame given in the application process.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, colleges and universities adopted a test-optional policy due to the virus complicating getting to test-taking sites. Many years after the pandemic, a majority of colleges have kept the test-optional policy, decreasing applicant stress greatly.
“I agree with the test-optional policy, because test scores more often directly correlate to your family’s income rather than your GPA or IQ,” senior Madeleine Kuemmel said. “However, I understand the need for some metric that all students take because schools need a way to directly compare student performances.”
Tests like the ACT and SAT are major contributors to application anxiety as colleges expect higher scores out of students. The test-optional application is a solution to that issue, giving students who are less fortunate test-takers the same chance as those who are more fortunate.
Another contributing factor to application stress is the Common App or Personal Essay portion. Applicants worry about capturing their voice, presenting themselves without portraying any negative or unwanted qualities, and doing so in a tight word limit.
“The most stressful part was writing my essay,” Kuemmel said. “I asked for a lot of help rereading and editing mine. I don’t know if it stands out, but I tried to write it in my own voice the best I could.”
So, is the college application process a functional machine? Or does it need fixing to keep it geared to work for both the colleges and the students who apply to them? Having participated in the process and having researched it, I believe minor tweaks to the system could help, but we cannot statistically create a perfect process, so what we have works.
While the system isn’t perfect, and most likely never will be, small fixes could reduce stress without sacrificing fairness. Ultimately, students don’t beat the system–students “win” by finding growth wherever they end up. And, as a tired, slightly overworked and ready to graduate senior, I think that everybody can find a way through the application game with a little effort.
