Seniors Class Continues Work on Completing College Applications

By CAROL LEE, V MURDAYA, MARVIN SHIM, KEVIN THANT, and LEON XIE

Meditation, college applications, and a healthy sleep schedule are three words not often used together. Senior fall seems to be the epitome of Exeter’s busy schedule. As the term comes to an end, early decision applications are almost due, and hundreds of college essays are being written on campus. 

“It’s definitely a lot to manage,” senior Yuvan Rasiah said. “I’m working on my college applications, meditation at the same time, and still doing school work while trying to sleep on time and relaxing a little bit.” 

Rasiah’s remarks highlight the workload that numerous seniors go through on campus. One often hears seniors complaining about their dreadful college applications and immense workload. The rigors of an Exeter curriculum do not help.

“I treat it like a major assignment,” senior Altan Unver said. “Usually I prioritize schoolwork when I have schoolwork to do. And then if I have an upcoming college counseling meeting or a deadline is approaching, I work on the college essays more. It just depends on what I need to do at the moment.”

“It’s stressful to maintain good grades while applying to colleges because it’s always something that’s on the back of my mind,” postgraduate Angus Arnold said. “When I’m doing things like studying for a test, I sometimes think and stress about things I have to do in the future. So with everything like writing a paper and studying for tests, it’s another thing I have on my mind that I’ll be thinking about.”

  “I dropped some stuff that I usually spend more time on. I’m practicing guitar less and doing choice format in the fall, which I would usually do in the winter. I’m just trying to make it so that I have as much time as possible to work on my college applications,” Unver reflected. 

Many members of his class share Unver’s sentiment. College applications immediately take priority over hobbies and projects, especially with looming deadlines. Coursework, however, remains relevant in the lives of these extremely busy seniors.

“I try to get my core stuff and coursework done first,” Rasiah remarked. “But college applications definitely took priority when early decision applications needed to go in.”

“I just always keep it in my calendar. I set a lot of alarms to make sure I’m getting specific things done every day,” Arnold said. 

“As it gets closer to the deadline, I worry more about [college applications] than my coursework. But of course, I can’t ever let coursework accumulate here. So I had to stay on top of everything while making sure I had time to do my applications,” he continued. 

Arnold continued, speaking on his experience as someone who has already applied to college before, “I would say I am more eager to apply because I know what opportunities I have. I was a lot more scared about the schools I was applying to last year, especially as a Canadian applying to American colleges. It felt as though I was kind of stepping into an unknown area. And now that I’m in Exeter and I know what the process is like, it feels less intimidating.”

However, the support system for seniors goes beyond the college counseling office at Exeter. Many teachers try to accommodate their syllabus and course plan, understanding the stress that seniors go through during college applications. 

“I try to arrange the syllabus for classes in which I have many seniors in a way that the days leading up to the first deadlines give some wiggle room,” Instructor in Spanish Ellen Glassner said. “My Spanish 558 this term has a majority of seniors in it, so I’ve built flexibility into their daily assignments and their preparation for the end-of-unit presentation.” 

When asked about whether or not there were students who missed work due to college applications, Glassner said, “Our students are very conscientious, and they also know how to communicate with their teachers, so I have never had problems with students missing a lot of work due to college applications.” 

But she added, “I’ll always work with anyone who may be struggling to guide them through.”

The college application process is a daunting journey for our seniors, coupled with the intense coursework of Exeter. As they prepare to take the next step into the unknown, seniors must stay organized and approach the stressful time with an open mind. Exeter has prepared seniors for this formidable period, and regardless of the outcome, it will prepare them for a promising future.