Application anxiety augments Overwhelming college pressures have detrimental effects on students
D
uring late fall, when many Americans are busy planning for the holidays, looking for gifts and stocking up on warm clothing, many high school seniors across the country are occupied with a far less festive activity: applying to college. A quick stroll around the school would confirm this less-than-cheery outlook on applications; much of the chatter in classrooms, the CCA or even lunch tables revolves around stress about acceptance rates and submission deadlines. A large portion of the stress associated with applying to college is attributable to the process’ excessively competitive nature. With 61.2% of colleges seeing drops in acceptance rates over the past 20 years, per Pew Research Center, competition is as fierce as ever - especially in Hamilton County. The area produced more college applicants than any other county in Indiana in 2020, according to data from Common App. Though it is true that competition breeds excellence, when it comes to college admissions, our hypercompetitiveness is working largely to the detriment of students. There are several factors that contribute to this collegiate competitiveness, the largest of which is likely historical precedent. At a school with a graduation rate of 97% and traditionally strong academic success, it is oftentimes the
Fletcher Haltom
haltofle000@hsestudents.org
explicit expectation that a senior enrolls in college immediately after graduation. While the remarkable student achievement levels are commendable, they nonetheless contribute to a rather cutthroat culture that frequently places a higher emphasis on college attendance than student well-being. With such great importance being placed on standardized tests, semester grades and college acceptances, it is not difficult to see what makes the process so stress-inducing. Often, SAT scores and GPAs are compared as definite representations of academic abilities, resulting in feelings of inadequacy that are only compounded by the stressful application process itself. For students, maintaining and balancing a heavy course workload as well as applications for colleges and scholarships can be a formidable task. As found in a New York University study, 80% of high school students reported a great or moderate amount of stress stemming from daily school work. When additional (not to mention even more stressful) work related to college applications is added to the load, students can feel both overworked and overwhelmed. In order to alleviate at least a portion of this application anxiety, the school must reassess its priorities. Of course, college attendance and graduation rates are important, but they should not be bolstered at the expense
of student health. During one of the most stressful portions of high school, students should absolutely be offered support and encouragement to apply, but that motivation should not become excessive; giving too much emphasis to college applications makes the process more stressful than is necessary or healthy. It must be noted, too, that the excessive emphasis on college is at the expense of other post-high school options. When a school focuses so heavily on college readiness during employability lessons, school announcements and college fairs, it does so at the expense of other postgraduation paths. The “career” portion of college and career readiness is oft-overlooked but of equal consequence. In order to alleviate at least a portion of the stress associated with college applications and future planning, more attention should be given to career pathways as viable post-high school options. As a whole, our collegiate zeal and hypercompetitiveness has led to burnt-out students and frustration with the application process in its entirety. Remedying this is difficult given the school’s desire to maintain traditions of academic excellence, but by gradually lessening the importance placed on applications and increasing the attention given to alternative options, students can face significantly less stress and pressure.
An excess of college pamphlets, posters and letters litter the mailboxes of high school students around the ountry. Photo by Fletcher Haltom.
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Tiger Times
November 2021
