I feel that the college application process is stressful by design. Drafting the perfect essay, trying to remember all the clubs and activities that you participated in over the years, selecting the schools that you’re interested in, it’s all stressful. Thinking about the future makes me break out in hives. But with this pandemic, I feel like the application process was made 10 times more stress-inducing than it normally would have been.
(From Fastweb: https://www.fastweb.com/student-life/articles/managing-stress-during-college-application-season)
In the beginning of the school year, we were only able to attend class one day out of the week. That day that you were in school was the only day out of the week where you could go and talk to your guidance counselor face-to-face. Otherwise, it was via Remind or through email. And I don’t know if it’s just me, but I feel like it’s almost harder to communicate through texts or emails. It’s so much easier to just sit down with someone, because you’re able to clear up any miscommunication right then and there.
I felt like I was going through the college apps process by myself. I felt so lost. My mother tried to help me to the best of her ability, but things are different now for applying to college than they were back in her day.
One of the most annoying things about the Covid-19 pandemic is the fact that I was unable to visit the colleges that I was interested in over the summer, as I had originally planned. Around June-August of 2020 was when everything was getting shut down and things were getting really scary. So, obviously, I didn’t go traveling.
I feel like the best way to know whether you want to go to a school is to visit the campus in person and get a feel for the aura that it radiates. If there’s something about it that makes you dislike it, it’s best to trust your gut and attend a school that gives off “good vibes,” so to speak. You’re going to be attending that school for the next four years, and it’s best that you go somewhere that makes you happy. With all the restrictions on traveling earlier on in the pandemic, coupled with the fact that many schools still have their campuses closed to the general public for safety reasons, I feel like I’m blindfolded and haphazardly throwing darts at a dartboard. Wherever the pin sticks is where I’ll go, I guess.
And it’s not like I haven’t researched the schools that I applied to. I absolutely have, although I will say that I may have dedicated more of my time to some of the colleges than on others. I have watched numerous YouTube videos of past and present students of the schools I’m interested in speak on their experiences. I’ve combed through their individual websites, and specifically looked at the majors that they offered. I’ve gone on virtual tours of the campuses. I’ve spent hours on Niche. I’ve attended a great deal of Zoom information sessions. I even have an Excel spreadsheet that compares and contrasts the amenities of all of the schools from which I have received acceptances. But all the research in the world won’t tell me which college “feels” right to me. That can only be determined by walking around on campus and getting a sense of the scale of the place.
It feels unfair, but that’s life. Life is unfair, and you have to roll with the punches. I’m sure that whichever school I end up going to will be a wonderful place for me, and I’ll make sure to make the most out of my experience.