As juniors begin preparing for the college process, the pressure to be the perfect well-rounded student increases. However, there are common misconceptions about what is important, which can affect how students direct their energy during this stressful time.
What is Not Stressed Enough:
With the rush of filling out multiple applications, it is easy to forget important information, or be careless when it comes to the tone of the applicant’s writing.
“I would love it if more students paid more attention to those minor details in an application,” says college counselor Nicole Peterson.
With so many individuals filling out applications, grades alone are not going to make someone stand out in a crowd for competitive colleges.
“I don’t think we stress enough about extracurricular and services that you can start doing as even a freshman or a sophomore,” says counselor Robin McNaughton.
What May Be Stressed Too Much:
Students commonly worry about a high GPA but cause more harm than good in their attempt to achieve it.
“Students put themselves into these rigorous courses thinking it will boost their GPA, but it isn’t a good fit sometimes, and they end up doing worse in the class rather than if they were in an academic level,” says McNaughton.
Grades and important tests are often a concern, but one test does not define a student.
“I remember feeling the pressure to get high scores on tests like my ACT, but there is so much more that goes into your application than a test score,” says senior Delaney Albarran.
Coping With Stress:
Students may think they need to know exactly what they want to do in college but it is okay to not have it all figured out.
“Even if you don’t know what you want to do, that is okay, small things that can just give you an idea will actually help with anxiety,” says McNaughton.
Marist offers a great support system that ensures students are as well prepared for as possible.
“The college and career counselors, and various apps that they show us, definitely help to make the process seem less daunting,” says junior Katherine Czerwinski.
It is important to seek guidance for students stepping into this process for the first time.
“Meet with your college counselor so we can start getting these important conversations started,” says Peterson.
The college process is not something easy to understand in one day. Take time to process it step by step.
“Going in early on late start days to the college and careers center and going through the common app process little by little really helped me,” says Albarran.
Explore and benefit from the various opportunities Marist has to offer.
“Taking part in RedHawks Take Flight, meeting individually with a college counselor, and going to the college fair on March 19 to feel ready when senior year comes and applications start,” says Peterson.
Figure out the best college fit. Everyone is different so it is important to find a college that matches things unique to the student – like majors, size, and distance from home.
“As a junior we want you to just be thinking about things. Find out what you like and don’t like so we can start giving you personalized options,” says McNaughton.
