I weighed my college mail again today. It's up to 21 pounds.
Those first couple of letters were exciting, finally signaling the transition from confused teenager to confused college student. You open the envelope with the fancy seal on the back to see your name sprinkled throughout the letter, next to bolded compliments and the italicized phrase, "You really can do important things!"
The personalization instills a newfound confidence, even though deep down you know they simply type your name into a computer program and it's automatically inserted throughout the letter.
I actually read those letters in the beginning, but now hundreds of unopened letters are piled on my bedroom floor. I've been touring campuses and "planning my future" since seventh grade so I thought I was fully prepared for the pressure, but I had no idea how stressful it would be, and neither did my parents.
Even in summer there is little time for relaxing. My days are filled with summer homework, applications, extracurriculars and working, until Monroe High School sports start in August. The silent stress builds up quickly, compounded by the almost non-existent sleep a teenager gets.
Throughout the years and the visits I've developed a thorough list of what I'm looking for. Now I'm very good at looking and listening for specific things when visiting schools. I am planning to apply to about seven universities, an average number in my opinion. I've probably visited upwards of 15.
Every time I visit a school, I notice new things. My most recent stint of college visits included a week-long road trip to the East Coast and stops at Syracuse University, Colgate and the University of Pennsylvania. I've seen an increasingly large number of what people call "tiger moms," the parents pushing their kids toward a certain school. They are obvious: the parent fires questions at the speaker, while the student appears completely uninterested.
I'm lucky that my own parents are much more laid back and trust my judgment. Still, they make not-so-subtle comments about how beautiful a certain campus is or how much financial aid I could get. I can quickly tell when one of them is leaning toward a certain school, but I know in the end I will be able to have a large role in the decision.
With every school visit comes the information session, some more informative than others. Most schools answer typical questions in the same way. Every school I've been to has said they have some type of "core curriculum," even if they really don't. They all emphasize unrealistically small class sizes, and I always learn more about the football team than the application process.
The college application process is always changing and no one will ever completely understand it, but I've learned some tips throughout the process. My biggest piece of advice to future prospective students is to start early - but also make sure you enjoy high school. The four years fly by, and overwhelming yourself with future planning wastes the opportunities only available in high school.
Do not wait until senior year to get involved. Not only does it look bad on college apps, but you may find something you really have a passion for with only a year left. And as always, ask for the help and opinions of others. If you are embarrassed to ask teachers or parents like I sometimes am, ask a friend who has already graduated. They've just gone through process themselves, and it makes asking for help less intimidating.
As I near the final stretch of my high school career and prepare to face the unknown, hopefully some of the lessons from high school will stick with me. The one suggestion constantly drilled into my brain throughout high school has been to not procrastinate - so maybe, someday, I'll actually read all of those letters piled on my bedroom floor.
- Sarah Sabatke is a senior at Monroe High School
Those first couple of letters were exciting, finally signaling the transition from confused teenager to confused college student. You open the envelope with the fancy seal on the back to see your name sprinkled throughout the letter, next to bolded compliments and the italicized phrase, "You really can do important things!"
The personalization instills a newfound confidence, even though deep down you know they simply type your name into a computer program and it's automatically inserted throughout the letter.
I actually read those letters in the beginning, but now hundreds of unopened letters are piled on my bedroom floor. I've been touring campuses and "planning my future" since seventh grade so I thought I was fully prepared for the pressure, but I had no idea how stressful it would be, and neither did my parents.
Even in summer there is little time for relaxing. My days are filled with summer homework, applications, extracurriculars and working, until Monroe High School sports start in August. The silent stress builds up quickly, compounded by the almost non-existent sleep a teenager gets.
Throughout the years and the visits I've developed a thorough list of what I'm looking for. Now I'm very good at looking and listening for specific things when visiting schools. I am planning to apply to about seven universities, an average number in my opinion. I've probably visited upwards of 15.
Every time I visit a school, I notice new things. My most recent stint of college visits included a week-long road trip to the East Coast and stops at Syracuse University, Colgate and the University of Pennsylvania. I've seen an increasingly large number of what people call "tiger moms," the parents pushing their kids toward a certain school. They are obvious: the parent fires questions at the speaker, while the student appears completely uninterested.
I'm lucky that my own parents are much more laid back and trust my judgment. Still, they make not-so-subtle comments about how beautiful a certain campus is or how much financial aid I could get. I can quickly tell when one of them is leaning toward a certain school, but I know in the end I will be able to have a large role in the decision.
With every school visit comes the information session, some more informative than others. Most schools answer typical questions in the same way. Every school I've been to has said they have some type of "core curriculum," even if they really don't. They all emphasize unrealistically small class sizes, and I always learn more about the football team than the application process.
The college application process is always changing and no one will ever completely understand it, but I've learned some tips throughout the process. My biggest piece of advice to future prospective students is to start early - but also make sure you enjoy high school. The four years fly by, and overwhelming yourself with future planning wastes the opportunities only available in high school.
Do not wait until senior year to get involved. Not only does it look bad on college apps, but you may find something you really have a passion for with only a year left. And as always, ask for the help and opinions of others. If you are embarrassed to ask teachers or parents like I sometimes am, ask a friend who has already graduated. They've just gone through process themselves, and it makes asking for help less intimidating.
As I near the final stretch of my high school career and prepare to face the unknown, hopefully some of the lessons from high school will stick with me. The one suggestion constantly drilled into my brain throughout high school has been to not procrastinate - so maybe, someday, I'll actually read all of those letters piled on my bedroom floor.
- Sarah Sabatke is a senior at Monroe High School
