As the college application season reaches its peak, seniors and staff at Camas High School (CHS) alike are experiencing the stress of upcoming application deadlines. 

Many students are reeling from the competitive atmosphere surrounding the college admissions process and are overwhelmed by the societal norms to pursue higher education. 

Senior Imogen Hinchliff said, “I think overcoming the competitiveness of college applications is extremely challenging. The volume of work needed by each college provides too much stress to the student, and it’s disheartening to put your whole high school experience into a few words.”

Senior Lydia Lee said, “It feels like all of my stats and extracurriculars are lacking, especially when watching college decision videos on YouTube where people have insane stats and get rejected from places that I want to go.”

Moreover, admission requirements for each college are slightly different, adding to the already stressful process of applications.

“Trying to manage all the deadlines and writing so many supplemental essays, it feels like the work never ends. It’s tough to not burn out,” Lee said. 

“The most stressful thing for me is getting all my information into one place. Every college has different requirements, and sometimes it’s hard to navigate through all the terminology,” Hinchliff said.

From the staff standpoint, teachers and counselors must submit additional materials such as transcripts and letters of recommendation for each individual student by the colleges’ deadline. Counselor Kirin Casteel said, “We definitely notice an influx [of requests for materials] at certain dates. For example, the University of Washington’s deadline is November 15th, so we’re getting a flood of requests now. We also got a flood before November 1st [for students applying early], so we definitely noticed some last-minute requests. This can get a little stressful.”

AP Literature and Composition teacher Connie Dignan said, “I received emails from other staff members saying, ‘Oh no, how do I get into the Coalition application site,’ and this was on the night before the recommendations were due.”

Students were also experiencing technical difficulties with the Coalition application portal.

“Coalition breaking down right during the University of Washington deadline just made everything even more stressful as everyone worked down to the wire. My best piece of advice for future college applicants would be to start applications as soon as possible,” Lee said.

In order to reduce the stress on teachers and counselors, it is important for students to ask for recommendations as early as possible. Students should strongly consider asking teachers, advisors, and mentors that have seen them grow and speak to their character for letters as well, instead of simply asking from a teacher who gave them the best grade. 

“Getting into a T20 school or any ‘prestigious’ school is overrated in my opinion. Go to a school because you want to go there and the school is a good fit for you, not because of its reputation,” Lee said. 

With how lost students may feel during the college application process, Casteel said, “And remember, we’re here to help.”