Skyline Seniors are in the process of getting their results back after submitting their college applications. They have gone through a long process to get everything done in time for deadlines. With the results on the way and graduation on the horizon, many Seniors are reflecting on their years of high school: what they learned, what they wished they had known sooner, and what advice they can pass down to the students following in their footsteps.
This process can be very stressful and hard for many students. In regards to the hardest thing about applications, Senior Kiana Reid said, “For me, picking the schools to apply to was the hardest part, which is why it took me so long to do. I never have had a dream school; the Ivies never appealed much to me, because most of them are so far away from here and the tuition in some cases can be really, really expensive.” Many students can feel the same way, as not everyone knows where they want to go and what they want to do.
Deadlines can also be extremely exhausting and hard to manage, but what do the Seniors think about it? How much does procrastination affect deadlines? Well, Reid said, “Definitely don’t procrastinate it all to the last minute. […] Especially if you’re going for more prestigious schools, like the Ivies… you want all the time you can get to refine your essay(s) into something you’re proud of.” In addition to Reid’s advice, Johnathan Chen, another Senior, said, “Always start early, even when it seems like there are months away until the deadline.”
There are many things students can miss out on by procrastinating. Reid highly encourages students to not procrastinate and says, “If you aren’t careful with those deadlines, you may still get into the school, but you might miss out on easy scholarship money that you deserved and would’ve earned if you hadn’t applied just regular decision.”
There are many things students need to complete for college applications, like essays. Senior James Nam said, “I looked at photo albums and thought about genuine stories from my past, which I used to write essays that told a story about who I am, not just what I’ve done.” On top of that, Chen said, “My best advice for essays is for the topics to come naturally. […] Remember the little moments! Not every essay has to be extremely lavish, and the best applications aren’t using insane metaphors that most people won’t understand. The CommonApp essay and supplemental essays are a great way to recount the experiences that make you unique and to share them with someone who genuinely wants you to succeed!” This clarifies that colleges look for genuine stories and authenticity rather than a perfect essay.
Interviews are also something some colleges do and not much is said about them.
Chen clarified, saying, “This is actually another common misconception. Most universities that deploy interviews like to call them ‘informal conversations’ to ease the tension. The interviewers haven’t read your application, and they also genuinely want you to succeed. […] Yale says it best: even if a non-competitive applicant does amazing on their interview, the school is glad that you had a great conversation, but that wouldn’t be enough to measure above the application. These conversations are best used for you to ask the alumni volunteer any questions you have for them!”
The questions they ask at interviews can vary. Chen says, “This is unique, each alumni volunteer will ask different questions! […] It can range widely, so prepare and practice, but allow the conversation to flow naturally.”
Leadership is extremely important for colleges. Reid illustrated this, saying, “There are so many different ways to lead, and I think that’s an important thing to address more, especially since a lot of these apps like to emphasize leadership so much. I’d advise people who think that they could never be a good leader to just try different things, because I thought that too, and now I’m the Editor-in-Chief for our newspaper.”
Beyond leadership, many Seniors emphasized that what students do with their time and extracurricular activities can make a big difference. The choices students make help them find their passions and stand out. Nam explained, “I don’t think there’s a single ‘right’ extracurricular; if you love doing something, focus on that extracurricular. Extracurriculars shouldn’t be about resume padding. It looks much better for applications to do an extracurricular in your niche rather than a mainstream activity you don’t enjoy doing.” Chen shared a similar perspective on how the most impactful activities are the ones students genuinely care about doing. He said, “Extracurricular activities are done best when it’s something you want to do.”
He continued by explaining how the students’ specific passion builds their application. He said, “These are all things that I would’ve done anyway, so I poured my heart and soul into these activities. Your best extracurricular activities that will help your application are the activities that support your spike and your narrative.” Reid shared her own opinion, saying, “Generally speaking, I think people should not only focus on what they like to do when picking electives but also on what the electives could teach them or help them improve.”
Being involved with so many different activities and having to do so many things raises another question. How do they manage it all? Seniors shared how they balanced academics, extracurricular activities, and building their applications, and whether they had to sacrifice anything. Speaking on if he had to choose between things he loved to do and things he had to do for college, Nam said, “I don’t think so, and this goes back to the whole thing of choosing what you like doing. I personally have interests in the extracurricular areas I participated in, which allowed me to make minimal sacrifices between what I love and what helps with applications.”
Chen also shared his personal experiences and said, “Occasionally. Colleges are still academic institutions, so you have to prove that you are academically capable of studying at a post-secondary institution. However, there are classes at Skyline that are both rigorous and fit my spike!”
Chen gave his final advice and said, “While I had to choose between a couple of activities, I would encourage all students (especially Freshmen) to participate in as many activities as possible early on, and commit to the ones you love! This will make college applications easier and will create lifelong friendships and memories, ones that I still cherish to this day.”
