With Early Decision and Early Action deadlines for college applications quickly approaching, stress and anxiety levels in high school seniors is imminent. Whether it’s regret of not studying to receive better grades, or fear of rejection from top universities, students often second-guess themselves and their capabilities of attending prestigious schools. Considering the current state of the college application process and the competitiveness of the high school curriculum to prepare students for their next level of education, I turned to the individuals who witness the chaos of application season first-hand: teachers. Special thanks to Eric Buran (Social Science), Andy Evans (English), Jenee Fawson (Spanish), Chris Haskett (English), Jonathan Graydon (English), Elizabeth Jarrett (US History), Jim Marshall (Social Science), and George Palau (Spanish) for taking the time to answer my questions! While this article is particularly lengthy (read at your own risk), these eight teachers provide knowledgeable insight that can benefit students, regardless of their academic background.
Questions:
- What college did you attend, and how was your college experience? How do you think it compares to how college life is now? How did your college experience help you grow as an individual and as a student?
- How can students best showcase their authentic personality and passions in their applications, rather than just listing their grades?
- If a student is struggling to find a unique topic for their college essay, what questions should they ask themselves to find inspiration?
- When you see students burning out from the pressure of applications, what is the best advice you give them to help them regain focus?
- How can a student tell the difference between challenging themselves with a hard class and overloading themselves to the point of burnout?
- What is a small, daily habit students can practice in high school to build the independence they will need when living on a college campus?
- How can students learn to separate their personal identity and value from the name or prestige of the college they end up attending?
- If you could give a student one piece of advice on how to look back at their high school career with pride, regardless of where they get accepted, what would it be?
Andy Evans:
- USC! Truly defining years.
- Colleges already can see grades, classes, activities, awards. They don’t know what kind of person you are…With the essay, a student can separate themselves from the herd with their backstory.
- Write about a passion…tell them what your strengths are…why you would be a good hang.
- Students have gone through this process every year and survived…they will go through this process again next year. You are not alone.
- Your mind, heart and soul always know best. It’s ok to take a temperature check. We wanna be happy, right?
- Meet deadlines, make friends, support yourself and friends.
- Who cares about a college? Care about yourself. It is not the college that matters, you matter. It is not what college you attend, it is what you do while there.
- May the best days of your past be the worst days of your future.
Chris Haskett:
- I attended University of North Texas right after surviving 4 years at Del Mar. Later, I attended UCSC and San Jose State University. College changed my life in many positive ways: I met lifelong friends; I gained confidence, knowledge, skills. I had experiences that I would never have enjoyed if I had taken a job right out of high school. Material things can always be taken away by the vicissitudes and villains that vex your life, but what you learn, you keep forever.
- Tell a story about you, a story that showcases traits that colleges want in their students.
- →
- What has been your happiest day?
- What is your biggest fear?
- What is your most vivid memory?
- What is your best talent? When and how did you use this talent in a significant moment?
- What is your favorite family tradition or event?
- What has been your most memorable day at school?
- What has been your toughest day?
- When have you felt that you were really smart?
- When have you felt that you were highly valued?
- What is your biggest regret or opportunity you missed?
- What has been your most challenging test?
- What is your favorite hobby or activity? What is your first memory related to this activity?
- What has been your worst day at work?
- What has been your best day at work?
- Wherever you go, you’re taking you with you, so you’ll be fine!
- Do you feel a sense of accomplishment after completing an assignment because of the challenge or dread because you fear the next assignment?
- Do your laundry!
- Be thankful you graduated from Westmont, not Del Mar.
Jonathan Graydon:
- I went to Boston University and graduated in 1991. I loved it as I felt that I got two “educations”, one was the academic and the other, the City itself. I quickly realized I, “Wasn’t in Kansas anymore…” and that my fellow students, all 33,000 of them, were there to ACHIEVE, almost IN SPITE of Harvard across the river. I had a diverse and classic collegiate education and a big dose of society, culture, politics, as well as a near full time job on day one all the way to the end. I think the experience is different and the same. It is the same in that socio-culturally, students still interface in class, face to face and the social aspects likely play out the same. What may be different is all the machinations behind the scenes and in the process/production of it all. Automation in the digital age was in its early development; I typed papers in high school with a typewriter and in college, had a computer that could process and produce papers. College helped me grow as a person immensely. The content was the content, but navigating a huge institution [bureaucracy], and living a new life in the city was quite instructive. I got to grow my mind, person, and awareness/intelligence in a supremely decadent manner. I was able to push myself in all departments, by my terms and volition; a change from the high school deal. I simply had independence from home and family of origin and it allowed me to start a life, away from all that.
- In most respects, share what no one may know about you that is unique and “expressive/indicative” of your/the journey, that in its process, peeled back the layers of “you” and pushed you to know and understand new parts of yourself, your resolve and strength(s), and cite/specify, the aspects of the “struggle” that gave you insight as well as nearly made you quit. Surmounting and overcoming serious obstacles is the central thrust of life.
- What nearly killed them or changed their perspective, grand insights etc. The content of their most profound learning/experiences.
- Health is number 1, pull back try to recharge
- Personal call
- Keep your eyes on the prize, believe in your process, seek help and support whether personal or academic
- This is a calculus all aspiring collegians need to tackle. At the bottom of the ledger, one needs to trust that the right occurrence will transpire.