With the arrival of second semester, seniors have taken a collective deep breath and released academic stress. Tweets about the wonders of being a second-semester senior have invaded Twitter. Statuses on Facebook proclaiming colleges seniors have been accepted to and incessant congratulatory wall posts are a frequent sight.
However, as seniors begin to relax and feel done with the college process, juniors are at the height of their stress and feel pressured at the thought of beginning the whole “college process.”
“I feel jealous every time I see a senior not study for a big test or come to class late with a muffin in hand and excuse themselves by saying that they’re already into college,” said Alec Maki ’13. “While all these seniors are done I haven’t even taken the SATs yet.”
Many students, like Maki, feel anxiety due to not having started the college process already while noticing that many of their peers have. Some of these students have begun flooding the guidance department and have sought out their guidance counselors for help.
“A lot of unknowns can account for all the nervousness. Juniors are sponges absorbing the nerves around them,” said guidance counselor PJ Washenko. “Just put your best foot forward, take a deep breath, and take your own path.”
Seniors who have already been accepted into college are viewed by some as a good source of advice for the college process and senior year as a whole. Whether it’s information about the school they’re attending or standardized testing tips, some juniors find seniors to be the best source of information.
“My main tip for juniors would be to definitely get a college counselor as soon as possible,” said Anya Rosen ’12. “Also, start taking the SATs or ACTs as early as possible so you have a lot of testing information to give you an idea of where you can go.”
Every year in mid-January, the guidance department holds “Junior Parent Night” in order to aid and inform parents about the process of making post secondary plans. They also hold other events, such as the College Panel Night in May where admissions officers from colleges come to speak about the process as well.
“Along with the programs at guidance, we work hard to train students in Naviance in December of their junior year so they can really start considering colleges,” said Susan Fugitt, a counselor at the College and Career Center.
Though many students feel overwhelmed with beginning the college process, many juniors who have older siblings who have experienced the process feel that they have benefited greatly from going through it with them. From visiting a plethora of colleges to helping formulate ideas for application essays, younger siblings have experienced the process vicariously through their elder siblings.
“I wish I had been able to see an older sibling go through the entire process before me,” said Katie Saveliff, a freshman at Duke University who graduated from Staples in the class of 2011. “Because I didn’t, I was really eager to start the feeling because I felt as if I hadn’t been exposed to enough colleges since I am the oldest in my family.”
Maddie Saveliff ‘13, sister of Katie, feels that she is extremely fortunate because she learned a lot about what she wants and does not want in regards to college just from watching her older sister go through the process. Saveliff said that her parents, too, learned a lot from going through it before and now know how to handle themselves throughout the college process.
Though many believe that having an older sibling does make surviving the college search much more bearable, students who don’t have that luxury find the guidance department and the College and Career Center to be extremely helpful. Fugitt cites the most important piece of advice to keep in mind is “to stay calm throughout the process and remember that no matter what, there’s a school out there for everyone.”
