With college application deadlines approaching and passing, email inboxes filling up with messages from colleges you’ve never heard of, and Harvard’s affirmative action policies being debated in court, it’s a tense time in the college admissions world. Explaining to a group of strangers, possibly hundreds of miles away, why you and your high school career matter is difficult, which is why the most important advice you can follow is to give yourself time. You won’t finish high school in a day, so don’t expect that you’ll be able to evaluate and recount all those experiences in a day. To help students find this focus, we asked Northwood students for anonymous college-related questions. Here are some of the most widely applicable questions:
How to be ok with not getting into my dream school!
First and foremost, if you have the time and money, make sure you actually apply to your dream school in the first place. Junior year, I spent hours internally debating the benefits and drawbacks of not applying to my #1 choice, and all it did was make matters worse. Instead of focusing on how to improve my academic and extracurricular records, I got caught up in the fear. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable, but you should try your best not to fuel it.
As for applying and not getting in, sometimes we get so caught up in fantasizing about the perfect school and the perfect life after high school that we don’t give ourselves time to be realistic. There is a whole world of options beyond the path you chose to focus on. Not getting into the school that sets you on that path just means you get to explore everything else life has to offer. You could go to another school and fall in love with it within the first semester or take a gap year and figure out what really matters to you.
If you don’t get into your dream school, it’s probably the universe nudging you towards the path meant for you. It might be upsetting, shocking, even devastating at first, but focusing on the negative aspects of not getting into your dream school distracts from all the opportunities that are still available. After you take time to heal from the pain, go out into the world and figure out what’s right for you. There’s always something. Good luck!
I am very stressed about college. I am only a sophomore and I want to go to a good art school, but I cannot afford to go out of state. How do I get a scholarship?
There are two basic types of scholarships: need-based and merit-based. Both can be super helpful if you are proactive in pursuing them.
Need-based, also known as financial aid, is adjusted for each person based on how much their family is able to pay. To see how much you qualify for, you can fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), which is a form that evaluates your own financial situation. The CSS Profile is a more detailed form for private, non-federal aid. Checking college websites will tell you what financial forms its application requires, as does the Common Application once you’ve selected a school. Because of debt, and the possibility that you won’t be given as much as you were hoping, it’s best not to rely solely on need-based scholarships.
Merit-based scholarships are awarded based on your successes. This includes a variety of sectors of accomplishment, like academics, the arts, athletics and more. There are thousands of scholarships out there; you just have to know how to find them. A great place to start is right here at Northwood. You can talk to your counselor or look out for emails from school administrators with scholarship information. If you are a part of clubs that belong to larger organizations like Key Club or My Sister’s/Brother’s Keeper, they most likely have scholarships that are awarded to members across the country. This also applies to honor societies. Another option is the US Department of Labor’s Scholarship Finder, which has scholarships that range from very general to oddly specific. Don’t be afraid to apply for the big, national scholarships; it never hurts to try. Good luck!
I am a junior and I feel so unprepared for college and life in general. I am a very intelligent person, but school is starting to get hard and life is coming faster than I can realize or accept. How do I deal with the stress of being unprepared and unaware of the challenges of life?
“Sometimes you just gotta cry, write that mess in your planner and keep grinding,” said senior Alex Tointon.
Life is always going to be developing and changing in unexpected ways and, honestly, you just have to learn how to deal with how much it sucks. It will always seem like other people have it more together, but most of the time, our insecurities distort our perception of other people’s success. Now is the time to take a step back from the chaos and worry so you can re-adjust your relationship with stress. So let’s expand on Alex’s plan:
- Crying (and other stress relieving activities)
Don’t be afraid to cry! Cry with your friends, by yourself, in your car, in the school bathroom or somewhere else. This is a great, responsibility-free activity that doesn’t require anything but tear ducts. If crying really isn’t comfortable for you, there’s plenty of other things: meditate, draw something ugly, watch a funny TV show, listen to music, or whatever else takes your mind off of the stress for a moment.
- Planning
From a calmer state of mind, it’s much easier to sort through the mess. Whether it’s a planner, a bullet journal, Google Calendar, sticky notes, etc., find somewhere to write down and process everything. Maybe try categorizing sources of stress. Write in pink for homework or green for sports practice. Finding the best process for you takes time and dedication, and while dedicating yourself to one more thing is probably the last thing you want to hear, it’s essential to be organized. If you’re worried about falling behind in the game of life, schedule time to research the path ahead (i.e. colleges, scholarships, etc.).
- Grind
Now you just have to keep going! Though it’s hard, letting the stress derail your life now will make it harder in the future because you’ll still be picking up the pieces. Remember that no matter how easy it seems for other people, it’s not really easy for anyone. Good luck!
–By Jenny Teague
