College+apps+stressing+seniors+out

sIt’s no secret that junior year second semester is typically the hardest year in high school, but if you ask the current senior class, they’ll be sure to tell you that senior year first semester is definitely the most stressful. Everyone in the class of 2008 seems to agree on the obvious stressor in their lives right now: college applications. “This whole talking about stress thing is stressing me out!” exclaimed Catye C. This seems to be the general attitude in the senior class right now. No one wants to talk about how stressed they are because it makes them more stressed. Catye holds the record right now for Biggest Number of Schools, with 14 that she is applying to, which with the amount of essays her schools require plus the GPA and test scores needed to get in would stress anyone out. Shannon B. agreed with Catye: “God yes I’m stressed! Just because I’m always afraid that I’m not going to get in, or go somewhere that I end up hating and it’s just a lot of extra work that you have to get exactly right.” Students applying to art schools have an extra stressor on top of simply applying; they must create a portfolio of artwork to send to their prospective colleges. Kathryn A., an artiste and photographer known throughout the school for her talent, said that while Art is her favorite class, “The main cause of my stress would have to just be putting together my portfolio for the colleges I am applying to. I’m worried about my pieces not being good enough or having them not in the correct format that the schools require.” For others, college applications aren’t //so// stressful. Patrice H. said “I’m only stressed about getting into my first choice.” She is applying Early Decision to Vanderbilt University; if she gets in, she is finished with applications and won’t apply to any others. While students at McGehee will continue to be stressed about college all year, since many admission decisions aren’t released until April, they are finding ways to decrease their stress levels. Catye C. said “Singing is a release for me so it actually helps me to alleviate stress.” Shannon B., who said her stress began “at birth,” took Calculus over the summer so she would have more studies and free time this year. Kathryn A. has a simpler approach: “I just try to think happy thoughts.” While it’s true that senior year would be a lot easier if everyone thought happy thoughts all the time, sometimes the stress just brings you down. Catye C. said “I have waaay too many stories about being stressed to tell right now, and just telling them all would make me even more stressed.” Shannon B. recalled a time when “Ms. Wargo just asked me how I was, and I had been having a really stressful day, and I just kind of freaked out and started crying. And the first day of school this year I got really stressed about college, and told Ms. Henricksen that I thought it just wasn’t worth it anymore and that I didn’t want to go.” Ain’t it the truth.