Getting In and Beyond

I'm back (a bit of surprise, I'm sure) for a special edition of Getting In and Beyond! For those who do not know, I started college in late August of 2018 and am currently getting through my spring semester of freshman year. While my fall semester was pretty light on academic commitments, I've committed to much more this semester. Thus, my days in college are pretty long and can get pretty hectic. If you're reading this before the end of April 2019, chances are I'm stressing out over getting work done, sitting in class, or getting a few hours of shut-eye. Here's a look at my weekly schedule this spring semester: Monday 7 am: Wake up and morning routine 8 am: Eat breakfast (dining hall) 8:30 am: Commute to class 9 am: Sociology (class) 10 am - ~10:45 am: Break (turn in chem homework) 11 am: Chemistry (class) 12 pm: Russian Fairy Tales (class) 1 pm: Lunch 1:30 - 3 pm: Research at lab 3:30 - 4:15 pm: Undergraduate Teaching Assistant meeting 4:30 pm ...

Now that all of my peers are committed somewhere, I took the time to ask them what they thought of the college application process. I took the time to ask my friends Mallika, Amy, and Rachel about the college application process and to reflect on what they would or wouldn't have changed. 1. If you wouldn't mind sharing, where are you going this fall, and what are you planning on studying? Mallika : I'm going to the University of Maryland (College Park) to study Computer Science. Amy : I will be going to Carnegie Mellon University this fall for computer science. Rachel : I’m going to Ursinus College and I plan to major in Computer Science and minor in French, Peace and Social Justice Studies, and hopefully also Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies if it fits. 2. How did you handle the stress of college applications in your senior year, if you had any? M : For me, it only got very stressful around Christmas break, because I had to write a lot of college essays durin...

It seems everyone and their pets are somehow the expert on your own college admission process. Growing up in the community I did, many of our family friends went off to prestigious schools and majored in some STEM field. It's understandable that the people around you have firsthand experiences that they feel the need to share. Some of the advice I've received in my first three years of high school helped me a lot in my senior year. For example, as a freshman, I took the advice of one senior to heart and started my essays really early after she told me of the stress she experienced trying to juggle her senior year coursework with the demands of college applications (she's at UC Berkeley right now). While information can be useful, advice about the college admission process is unreliable 99% of the time. Too much information can seriously clutter your brain. As corny as this sounds, you need to stay authentic to yourself. Do what you think is right. If you don't like ...

Self-care, physically and mentally, is really important. Since early February is the beginning of the wait between ED/EA decisions and RD decisions, you have some time that you can use to focus on yourself. Here are tips to keep you healthy not only physically, but mentally as well. 1. Do things you love. Whether that's something strenuous as exercising or something as relaxed as listening to music, putting yourself in a stress-free zone is paramount in putting your mind at ease. Personally, I started to listen to more genres of music after submitting all my college applications, and discovering new music has always made my mind really happy and at ease. I also watched a lot of films in theaters, something I always wish I can do more. Catch up on a TV show you've been meaning to get to. Eat good food. Clean your room if you need to declutter. You deserve it. 2. Try something new that you've had to put on the back burner for so long. Whether that's picking up a ne...

I submitted my last college application on October 15th, 2017. For others, that milestone is sometime in early January. With my anxiety and my inability to deal with college applications longer than I already have (it seemed like everything I did starting my freshman year led up to that moment), October 15th was it for me. I was done, and it felt pretty awesome. But something I never knew I could experienced started to happen: I was anxious about waiting . My waiting game was much longer than most. My November and winter breaks were decidedly less stressful, but also more listless. Since none of my friends were done with their college apps, I couldn't really hang out with them, though the benefit of finishing my college apps so soon was that I got to spend almost a week in sunny Florida while everyone else was dealing with the cold, late-December weather. But waiting sucks. It really does! School does keeps you busy, and it keeps your mind from the finality of senior year, be...

I only applied to four schools, and only really cared about two of the admissions decisions. That being said, I wouldn't say I'm the best at giving advice on dealing the college app essays, though that isn't to say I didn't have obstacles to overcome. I certainly struggled (very normal thing, by the way), but I had the luxury of having to deal with less essays. So, I provided testimony from a bunch of my friends regarding their own struggles (or lack thereof) with the college app essays, and any advice they have for future high school seniors. Happy writing! *Please keep in mind that some people have chosen to only disclose their first names or remain anonymous. Thank you for respecting their privacy.* Mallika "Definitely start writing early. Also write your essay when you're in the right mood and you actually feel like writing. I wrote many drafts of essays of different topics, but I was never super into any of those topics, which reflected in my writing...