Lambert seniors are bombarded with the arduous college application process as they head into their final year of high school.With one month until early decision college applications are due, Lambert seniors are scrambling to finalize their test scores, extracurriculars and essays. Additionally, because each component carries its own weight in the admissions process, high school students are under tremendous pressure to compile their four years of hard work into one final application. Beyond competing with high school students across Georgia, Lambert students often perceive themselves as competing with their peers, given Lambert’s reputation as one of the most competitive schools in the state.
As deadlines from Common App are haunting students at Lambert, several students are acting early on the application process in order to combat the competitiveness surrounding the environment and make the admissions process easier to manage. By working ahead, students save time and reduce stress by eliminating last minute cram sessions, devote more time to other pieces of the application process and ensure confidence in their application, giving them a bigger advantage in a rough environment.
“One thing I’m worried about is how colleges would weigh Lambert in compared to my application,” Senior Sunny Pacika said.
Even though several students are getting a head start on their Common App process, the struggle is still there as many have to balance application requirements, while balancing the weight or rigorous academics and emerging deadlines
Additionally, even though many students have high test scores, grade point averages (GPAs) and excelling extracurriculars, the Common App essay – a component that the vast majority of colleges require – plays a pivotal role in deciding if a student gets into their dream college.
“I got a head start on [Common App] by getting my essays done as early as possible,” Pacika added.
Starting early on the essay section for Common App allows students to not only express their personalities and skills, but it also helps alleviate the stress of deadlines, making the process much easier.
Furthermore, the Common App has a section called Activities where students can showcase their commitments to activities that either reflect their interests, help their community or help them gain experience in their indicated major. Many seniors at Lambert are juggling clubs, school, sports and outside life, and the Common App asks them to summarize these extracurricular activities in a couple sentences, all while maintaining its impact which can add to stress.
Overall, Lambert Seniors often have to take on immense amounts of stress going through the college application process. With managing the demands of raising test scores, summarizing essays and polishing extracurriculars, all under cosmic pressure. Many students, however, combat this pressure by creating organized schedules, leaning on friends and family for support and seeking guidance from teachers and mentors.