Uppers Begin College Process

By MADDIE BARRETT, ADRIAN CHAN, EILIENA DING, MAGGIE KOTKOWSKI, and KYROS WU

Returning from winter break, uppers are officially beginning their college counseling processes, the start of their college application journeys. The classes of 2025 and 2026 have a variety of feelings regarding both the application and college counseling processes. 

Though the uppers are just beginning to meet with their college counselors, they’ve been working on the infamous Upper Questionnaires for a little while longer. “It is really, really, big,” upper Kateryna Horeva said when asked about the questionnaires. “Uppers spend their whole breaks writing it,” she explained, noting that they are modeled after college applications. 

Having turned in their questionnaires, uppers are moving onto the next step: meeting their counselors. Upper Maya Shah mentioned that meeting her college counselor eased some of her nerves surrounding the process.“I just met with my college counselor and she seems really nice and we get along well. So, I’m excited to see where this goes and everyone before me has done it, so hopefully I will do it as well.” Shah said.  

Horeva also feels good about her college counselor pairing. “He’s always really optimistic and funny, and he really matches my energy. He is always there for us to listen to our needs, but at the same time he’s a person with a very big experience at his back, and I feel like he’s really knowledgeable in his field.”

While confidence in college counselors might allay some of their anxiety, there is still a journey ahead of uppers. Upper Harini Venkatesh emphasized that, “it’s still really early.” 

Certain uppers have yet to even meet with their counselors yet. This might give them the feeling of being “behind” their peers, which can add to their stress even more. 

Venkatesh shared a piece of personal advice: “I’m just gonna keep doing what I like to do because I think at the end of the day, like the college application, the purpose of it is to find somewhere where you fit in best.” 

On the other hand, many seniors have just completed their applications, some having already received their decisions. Seniors Maddie Stein and Anika Bhatnagar, recently admitted to New York University and Tufts University, respectively, reflected on their college counseling experiences and gave advice to uppers who are starting the process. 

Thinking back to this time last year, Stein believed that having a college counselor was important. Stein said, “They were very helpful, especially for getting a general idea of what senior year was going to be like and what we were going to need to prepare to apply to college.” 

Bhatnagar recalled, “There was talk about ‘ooh, who’s your college counselor?’ and people trying to decipher what that meant in terms of everyone’s stats.” She added “The first meetings were a bit terrifying, talking to your college counselor and them being brutally honest about what your chances are for colleges. [However,] I’d say that it’s really what you make of it. Once you get to know your college counselor, I think it’s a great process and there’s nothing to fear about it because they genuinely want to put you somewhere where you’re going to succeed.”

Considering their experiences throughout the past year, Stein and Bhatnagar have insightful suggestions for upper who are nervous about beginning this process.

Stein expressed, “My advice would be to continue doing what you’re passionate about because I feel like colleges these days seem to be looking for more passion and interest that shows through your whole application. I think it’s less about following exact criteria, but more showing that you have a passion in a certain subject or a genuine interest in a specific thing, and highlighting activities that include those passions will make your application stronger.”

Bhatnagar shared her advice: “Make the most of what your college counselor has to offer.”

She continued, “Don’t be afraid to ask anything because they are there for every single minute. If you have fear with your essays or fear with general college things, they will be there for you,” Bhatnagar said.

Dean of College Counseling Betsy Dolan shared how the College Counseling Office paired students with counselors: “There is a great deal of information collected to help this effort. The intention behind class assignments is to ensure every college counselor has an understanding of the class. Just as we have a very diverse and talented student body, each counselor should understand different cohorts within that student body. We try to ensure every counselor has students with high and low GPAs and everything in between. Counselors will have students who are National Merit Semi-finalists, musicians, artists, who have geographic, racial, ethnic, and gender diversity, probation cases, medical leaves, and the list goes on. In any given year, the assignments may be influenced by confidential information. As such, the college counselors treat confidential matters with great care.” 

Dolan described the uppers’ college process as “transforming from being an adolescent to a young adult.” “Refining their goals and interests will help them (hopefully) build a strong candidacy as well as a balanced and thoughtful college list,” Dolan continued. 

Dolan shared advice for uppers: “Enjoy your journey. It’s yours to make... so make it fun. Additionally, create an honest relationship with your college counselor and listen to what they have to say. Their insight is invaluable.”

As uppers begin this journey and seniors near the finish line, stress and the general pressure to succeed loom around campus. For many Exonians, where we go to college is the utmost priority, creating the daunting feeling about the process that doesn’t go away until it’s over. However, it’s clear that students receive an abundance of support from faculty and other students. It is important to stay true to yourself and that will shine in your applications. So whether you’re a prep who’s aiming to secure an A in physics, an upper who’s just filled out the questionnaire, or a senior who is all set to go to a university, take a deep breath and realize this is what being an Exonian is all about.