Weekly Column Tag: college stress
Tag: college stress
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This is the hardest three weeks of applying to college. You've already submitted a couple of applications, and now you're up to your Uggs in essays and deadlines for more colleges. You're starting to wonder if this is all really worth it, when along comes a thick envelope from one of the colleges you applied to in September-- congratulations, you're in! You have now entered the Goldilocks zone. (Forgot about her? Go to http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/goldilocks_story.htm --DON'T ask your English teacher, who will tell you the story is a metaphor of global consumption by Western civilization.) Why Goldilocks? Right now, you think your college list is: Too hard With 5 class papers to do and the fall play, you're sure you are applying to too many colleges. You only visited half of them, the time you spend on essays would be much better spent on keeping your grades up, and you're already admitted to one college-- do you really need more? Too soft Sure, you're in at one college-- but that was a safety school. In fact, every school you're applying to looks like a sure thing. Maybe it's time to ramp things up-- and if that means more essays, you can take your laptop to Grandma's on Thanksgiving. These may seem to be opposites, but they are signs of the same thing-- you are stressed about the application process. Pull up a bowl of porridge, and let's sort this out with three simple questions: How did you feel about your college list in September? If you put a lot of thought into your choices, visited some campuses and researched the others, chances are you'd be cutting out some options by cutting down on the list; the busy-ness of school is blocking your view of the big picture, and it's time to take a breath. However, if you threw the list together to get Mom and Dad off your back, you may now have a better idea of what you want-- or don't want. If that's the case, there's time to re-visit the list, and a good reason to do so. How many essays do you really have left? Count up the college essays you have to answer. Now, divide that number by six. That's the number you have to complete each weekend to finish the apps by mid-December. If you mix and match short and long essays, you're probably OK if you have to do three each weekend, maybe four. (Remember, no writing during the week. That's time for school work, which is the way you keep your grades up.) Then again, if you have to write something like one-sixth of an essay each weekend, you have room to apply to more colleges. Write down what you're looking for in a college, and spend this weekend looking around for more; it sounds like you can skip the essays for a while. Have your college goals changed since September? If you have new college plans, a review of your list is the right thing to do. If you really know all of the colleges are keepers, it's time to pull up your socks and do the heavy lifting of the essays. Persisting now will be good practice for college, when you have to choose between turning a paper in on time, and the Euchre tournament. Goldilocks made bad choices-- trespassing, destruction of private property, and napping after a big meal. Don't let this happen to you; step back, think about what matters most to you, and you'll make a decision about college apps that's just right.
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