Seniors advise junior class on applying to college

Sage Cohen ’25, Paper Editor|March 20, 2023

Graphic by Alex Gaines ’25

Seniors recommend a variety of ideas to make the college application process easier.

As standardized testing season begins, the stress of applying to colleges becomes more and more relevant for juniors taking the ACT or SAT. To help ease the stress, seniors reflected on their college application experience and offered advice to juniors as to what they wish they would have done. 

“Just to apply anywhere you want,” Jess Mysel ’23  said. “No school is too big of a reach and nothing is set in stone.”

Mysel believes in dreaming big and not letting other people determine where, when or how many schools you should apply to.

According to Study.com, “A 2015 report found that 36% of all incoming college freshmen applied to at least seven schools.”

Although Mysel currently has not committed to a college for next year, she has received many acceptance letters from colleges that spark her interests.                             

Other seniors, like Coco Laska ’23, committed to Vanderbilt University as an early decision; however, before her acceptance, she was open to the idea of attending many other schools. 

“It’s ok if you don’t know where you want to go,” Laska. “You will explore all your options and find the right place for you.” 

Another student, Jack Whittle ’23, committed to St. Lawrence University at the end of January for football and offers his advice as well.

“[You should] EA (early action) to a bunch of places,” Whittle said. “Don’t wait because it just feels better to know.”

Studies have shown that at some schools the admission rate can be substantially better for early admission candidates. In fact, of the number who applied early to the University of Pennsylvania, nearly 25% were accepted, compared to only 9% of people who were admitted through the regular application process.

Even though this is a stressful time for the class of 2024, the current seniors are always open to communicate since they just went through the same, tedious process. 

They also encourage juniors to not beat themselves up if they get rejected from a school.

“Rejections cause redirections,” Mysel said. “Just because you only pictured yourself at one school doesn’t mean that there’s not another school that could be an amazing fit or even a better fit.”