November 9, 2018
By Jeffrey Gu
Time moves so quickly. Autumn is here already, quarter one is over, and January 1st is creeping up on us. Soon we’ll be done with college apps, it’ll be second semester, and we’re home free!
Heck, some of you have already turned in early applications – congratulations! For those of you who didn’t choose to early anywhere – that’s ok too! We’re all moving at our own pace through this little hellhole of a time called semester one, and wherever you are in the process, you’re doing great. Juggling senior coursework and deciding on your path for the next 4 years can be hard and frustrating and painful, and you’ve been doing amazing up until now. Hang in there for just a few more weeks!
Even as we await the arrival of second semester, though, we can’t let senioritis set in quite yet. It’s important to plan ahead for the applications we have left to do. Writing things late isn’t any fun, and is often very unfun, if not downright awful. For instance, I’m writing this month’s column like I wrote my early application essays – right up against the deadline. (A little over it, actually. Forgive me, editors.)
As stressful as this is, I imagine that writing 10 essays on December 31st is even more stressful, in addition to being a horrible way to closing off your winter break.
So don’t do that! (Or if you already did that for your earlies – learn from it!) Map out any essays you have left to write, and come up with a schedule for completing them, including every step in the process: brainstorming, drafting, revising, revising again.
More importantly, hold yourself accountable and stick to it – even if you don’t feel like you have the perfect product by the deadline you’ve set for yourself, at least you’ll have something you can go back to and edit later instead of having to throw a bunch of haphazard sentences together a few hours before the actual deadline. You’re being asked to condense as much as you can about yourself into a few hundred words. Save time to give it the thought it deserves.
And don’t forget to schedule in time to relax! Be realistic here – writing a strong essay, no matter the length, is something that takes a lot of effort. You’re not about to turn into an essay-writing machine and work 24/7 to pump these out. While leaving all your essays until the last minute is a bad idea, wasting your last fall in high school is equally bad. As you set aside time to write about “a time of hardship that you overcame and learned from” or “an experience that demonstrates your character,” be sure to also leave time for enjoying this fall weather.
Balance is important – the college application process can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to overwhelming. Remember, you’re almost at the finish line! By the time the next issue of the Musket comes out, you’ll have submitted all your applications, and won’t ever have to log into Naviance, the Common Application website, or any other admissions-related website ever again. You’ve already come so far – finish strong!
The leaves are changing color, pumpkin spice lattes are in season, and the holidays are closing in quick. In a few short weeks, we’ll be turning in the last of our apps, and a few months after that, we’ll be parting ways and heading out on our own separate paths. You’ll be okay wherever you go for college, but you won’t ever get this period of your life back. So even though your essays are important, make sure you take some time to step outside, laugh with your friends, and enjoy life.
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