Throughout our lives as students, we have been preparing for the moment when we create our Common App account and open that first set of college application questions. Now, as we stare at a computer screen, we are faced with the task of summarizing our entire life story in just 300 words. How do we capture nearly 17 years of memories and experiences, and then decide which ones to describe in such a small space?
This pressure of starting, completing, and submitting college applications can be overwhelming, and unexpected obstacles can often arise along the way. Senior Hannah Xie says, “Starting my essays was the hardest challenge I faced because I’m not the best writer. Brainstorming and getting into the flow was really hard for me.”
Elements like creative writing or even curating a college list might seem like straightforward and simple tasks until you actually face them. As students begin their senior year, many may find themselves procrastinating on these responsibilities, unsure if they are ready for the big step to college.
This was a situation that senior Mayuko Karakawa experienced when working on her essays. She says, “I’m also a major procrastinator, so I’ve also been struggling with actually writing those supplemental essays.”
However, the college application process does not have to be intimidating. As OHS seniors, we are fortunate to have access to excellent resources.
Senior Naiya Mody says, “The Writing and Tutoring Center [at OHS] has been very helpful. Being able to schedule individual appointments to break down my ideas and guide me through writing my supplemental essays has really aided my process.”
In addition to the Writing and Tutoring Center, OHS offers support from college counselors, with each senior assigned a dedicated counselor to guide them through their application journey.
Hannah Xie also suggests reaching out to your professors during office hours for help with applications, as they’re always willing to answer questions and discuss ideas as well. Hannah often visits her humanities teacher to get a clearer view of the expectations of certain essay questions.
Throughout the college application process, seniors have encountered new experiences and challenges that could not have been fully understood when first beginning. Now that we have gained some insight, we can offer advice to fellow and rising seniors.
Mayuko Karakawa says, “Self-analysis is probably the most important step in the entire process. I’d definitely recommend getting started on this self-reflection early, around the end of junior year, so you have a clear idea of the type of institution you want to attend and what to write in your college essays.”
As Karakawa cautions, self-analysis is a time-consuming process, and so are many other aspects of college applications. So, a key piece of advice from many seniors is to start early! Begin the process your junior year, start brainstorming supplemental essay ideas, thinking about your college list, and documenting your extracurriculars, volunteer work, and accomplishments to input into Common App. Taking care of these tasks early on will make the application process much more manageable later.
Also, if you’re a full-time student and rising senior, be on the lookout for the College Essay Kick-Start course led by the Writing and Tutoring Center. The course is offered every year and students are invited to enroll in April. It will be held during the last week in June to get you started and prepared for the journey that lies ahead!
Ms. Shields, Writing and Tutoring Center Director and facilitator for the College Essay Kick-Start course, says, “The course is a great way to begin the process. We discuss genre expectations of the personal essay, review student examples, and lead students in brainstorming and essay organization activities. By the end of the week, we hope students will have a single draft of a common app essay and ideas for supplemental essays.”
And finally, some last words of advice.
“Be kind to yourself. Every OHS student from the class of ‘24 I’ve talked to seems to be having a great time in college, even if it wasn’t their ‘dream school’,” says Hannah Xie.
“All of our worst-case scenarios, like attending a community college or going to the last school on your list, are still great outcomes. No matter where you go, it’s about what you make of the experience. You will end up where you’re meant to be,” says Mody.