Generally speaking, seniors stress the most over college. What colleges are you applying to? Are you going to visit? When are applications due? The questions keep piling up. I spoke with other seniors about how they handled the pressure of making college decisions and asked them what qualifications they based their decisions on.
I spoke with Danielle Welty (‘15) first. Danielle transferred from Concord and has played softball all her life. She wants to go to a small christian college that has a good program for interior design, a friendly community, and a place where she could maybe play softball. When I asked her if all this college stuff is stressful, she said “definitely stressful, especially since I’ve been getting so much homework for school. If there wasn’t as much homework, I wouldn’t be as stressed about college.”
Young Kwang Sun (‘15) said he looks at college rankings, their reputation for their academics- especially for his major, business, and the ratio between the professors and students. He would like to go to a school that is known for having good sports programs, too. As for the pressure and stress, Young Kwang said that like most seniors, it is a stressful time for him, but he’s trying to not worry so much about it.
Noah Hochstetler (‘15) looks for colleges that have good academics, a nice campus, and overall good community. He would also like the opportunity to do intramurals in college. In order to deal with the stress, Noah says being involved in extracurriculars helps keep his mind off of things.
Annie Hu (‘15) says she would like to go to a large state college that is known for having a good program for her major, hotel management. Another thing she wants in a college is a good community and nice local shopping mall. It is a very stressful time for her. A couple ways she deals with the stress is by shopping. “Spending money helps me not stress about college.”
College is a big decision with many choices that can change a person’s direction in life. Stress and pressure are unavoidable, but having a list of qualifications can help with your decision making process. The college search is about exploring who you are and what you want and then finding colleges that will meet your goals.
~Kati Quiggle~