College admissions officers reassure seniors

by Kalson Yussuf

College applications are stressful. As a senior experiencing this firsthand during a global pandemic this has been one the scariest, stressful, and heartbreaking experiences I have lived through. Other seniors and even college admissions officers agree.

“I think it’s been difficult because the college applications process is already a really stressful thing for all of us,” senior Annette Rooney said. “Where you’re going to go off to school is a really big deal and just trying to figure out where the best fit is for you. And with Covid, it kind of has turned the world upside down.”  

Like Annette said, Covid-19 has flipped our world upside down. We are just living in the moment. We are not sure what is going to happen next. That is the scariest part.  

Emma Wen is the Assistant Director of Diversity Initiatives in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at NYU.

Emma Wen

NYU admissions

In a recent Zoom interview Emma had similar thoughts. She assures seniors that colleges have this under control and not to stress out because of this reason. 

“I think students should really rest assured that NYU and other colleges understand that the entire world has been turned up on its head, or upside on its head, because of Covid,” Emma said. “We’re all fully prepared to be much more forgiving and much more understanding in this coming application cycle, as compared to years past.” 

Balancing homework, college applications, sports, and clubs is so difficult in general but senior year is a new level. It has weighed a lot on class of 2021, and doing it all virtual has made it even more difficult. 

“It’s definitely affected me,” Annette said. “It’s always like in the back of my mind. We have so much going on already senior year just with homework, and I feel like the beginning of the school year is always super busy. And so, just thinking about these early action deadlines and just trying to get letters of recommendation and your essay finalized – it’s really overwhelming. It definitely has taken a toll on me. I am just trying to figure out what’s a good balance of getting things done without being overwhelmed because I feel like this is a time where we’re supposed to be enjoying life and using our young age to our advantage.” 

With SAT and ACT getting cancelled or pushed off this year most of all colleges are test optional.      This has been a relief for some seniors. According to some college admissions people, with a test optional approach students will not have an advantage or a disadvantage if they submit these tests. 

Lorenzo Gamboa is the Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate Admiission at Santa Clara University. 

“It’s felt very solitary for a lot of you seniors,” Lorenzo said in a recent interview over Zoom, “because you’re doing it all virtually. It’s been difficult in the fact that sometimes it feels like you know certain things are being changed on the fly. For example, [we’re] no longer requiring the SAT and ACT, which you were probably planning on for the past three years. And now many schools going test optional.”

Lorenzo Gamboa

Santa Clara University

I am half way through my senior year of high school, and almost done with college applications. The best advice I have gotten through all of this is to always have a plan, and within that plan, consider everything that can go wrong and right. This is scary and terrifying, but you are not alone. You have all your classmates going through the same thing, and they are here for you. 

“Take all the lessons learned from what you’re doing right now, and keep it with you,” Lorenzo said. “Embrace it, and take it on to college. For example, embrace the idea of solitude, in which you get to reflect. 

“Embrace the fact of your family,” Lorenzo continued. “Oftentimes before this, we were so consumed by our little gadgets, our cell phones, and all that stuff that we never even connected with our parents anymore. 

“And then embrace the concept of being there in time. Be there at that moment, and enjoy every single second of it, because that’s the part of life that we’ll never regain. So hopefully you take those three lessons forward, and enjoy the rest of the ride.”

Annette had similar thoughts. 

“I’m trying to look at it like this: if I don’t end up going there, then it wasn’t meant to be. I think in my heart of hearts I will end up where I am supposed to be. And if that means getting rejected from a school I really hoped I would have gotten into, then maybe it happened for a specific reason. Yeah, because I think everything does happen for a reason.”