It’s that time of year again. Snow on the ground, seasonal music seeps through the radio, ugly sweaters make their annual appearance. Yes, it most definitely is that time of year; college application time, that is.
During the most stressful period of the year for seniors, many find themselves overworked, especially when it comes to college applications. However, is that not our own doing?
Today, students are applying to more schools than ever before. This past Sunday, The New York Times published an article describing the increase in applications students are completing, trying to gain any and every advantage they can.
According to Naviance, a program that helps students research and organize the college application process, 16.5 percent of seniors nationwide said they were applying to between 11 and 20 schools. Similarly, according to a study done by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, in 1990 only 9 percent of students applied to seven or more schools, whereas in 2011, that group had risen to 29 percent.
Naviance also recorded that one students’ account has already reached the 60 application threshold, as last year’s record of 83 applications looks to be in jeopardy.
One reason students continue to apply to so many schools is the Common Application. The Common App provides a standardized form for students to submit to the more than 500 member colleges without having to re-input their data — one of the most time consuming tasks of the college application process.
However, due to the ease of systems like the Common App, students will apply to schools for which they are either well under-qualified or over-qualified. Despite the ease of applying through the Common App, it still creates more essays, more money, and more stress for students.
In addition, applying to college comes at a cost. While some schools offer free applications, many schools charge upwards of $65. The expenses associated with applying and the sheer stress of applications should dissuade students from applying to so many schools, but we continue to do so.
While the increase in applications may be a downside for students, colleges welcome it. In what has become a trend, schools now entice students, who may not be qualified, to apply long before their senior year.
This is partially to increase their standing in the annual rankings of “best colleges” by decreasing their acceptance rate.
In a time of extreme stress and pressure, are students actually doing themselves a service by applying to more than seven or eight schools? At some point, students are really creating more and more stress and cost for themselves and their families.
While applying to college can be an exciting time, students are making it harder and more stressful by applying to so many schools.
It’s time we recognize the ridiculousness of applying to so many schools, and take this time to focus on the ones we really do want to attend; not a school that is a shot in the dark just because we can.