Over the last few days, the final wave of college admissions letters was sent out and seniors all over the world were able to rejoice on the completion of their long and difficult high school careers. Friends and family congratulated them through a variety of social media platforms such as Facebook with brief heartwarming messages expressing both joy and relief. While the current generation of seniors can finally sit down, take a breath, and enjoy their “senior springs,” the anxieties of sophomore and juniors begin to grow exponentially as they find themselves next in line.

The difficulty of the college application process seems far-fetched for those who have never experienced it firsthand. The process is commonly perceived as the most difficult time of high school; the thought of managing both the senior year workload and college applications terrifies many students. Further adding to this perception are the fears that students have of being rejected by their dream schools.

            

Eric Song, a current senior at Seoul International School who will be attending Columbia University next year, provided some insight into the difficulty of the first semester as well as some aspects he considered to be essential in order to successfully complete the college application process.

 

"Having to write my college apps on top of managing a rigorous schedule was not easy. But at the same time, it was not impossible; once you write a couple of essays for college, you get the hang of it and the rest follows relatively smoothly."

            

"I spent the summer before senior year developing myself more as a student and a college applicant. I attended a summer camp at Yale to learn about environmental sustainability, competed in several academic competitions, and also worked as an intern."

 

“The most important factor in successfully completing my application process was perseverance. Things can get pretty tough as your workload increases, so you have to remind yourself to finish as strong as you can, to sprint through that finish line.”

 

Eric Song has described the college application process as rigorous due to the juggling of both college applications and school work. However, he notes that the process became remarkably easier as he got more practice writing essays. In addition, he says that in order to prepare for the difficulty of senior year, he attended a summer camp at Yale University in order to adjust to the new environment he would be entering in the upcoming years. He further added that perseverance was the key to surviving senior year.

 

While all seniors look forward to the freedom of second semester, they first have to go through the arduous college application process. The process is overall one of the most nerve-wracking and difficult that students will face. However, it is also arguably one of the most important because it is often seen as the bridge connecting their high school selves to their college maturation. Students must put forth everything they have learned and experienced in order to successfully complete the final phase of their high school career. And in the end, once students have found the perfect place it can be a truly rewarding experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sangyoon Lee

10th Grade

Seoul International School