The clock is ticking, and graduation day is coming up fast. As of now, most seniors are awaiting college decisions and starting to plan for what comes next after graduation.

Students in other grades may wonder how the application process is and what to expect to see. The majority of application deadlines have passed, enabling seniors to reflect on how the process went for them. Allison Sipe has applied to Cal State Fullerton, UC Santa Cruz, Cal State Monterey Bay, Arizona State University, Cal Poly Pomona, and UC Riverside.

Luckily for Allison, she had the help of a college advisor, which allowed her to “get started on the application process a lot earlier.” This benefited her because it allowed her to “really think a lot about the questions,” however, she describes the questions as being “hard to answer” because it’s “hard to talk about [herself].” 

Some of the questions she was faced with were: 

Where have you shown leadership skills?

What makes you a good candidate compared to other applicants?

What class in high school inspired you most?

What are your greatest accomplishments throughout high school?

Allison describes the application process as being “stressful” because, as said earlier, it’s hard for her to talk about herself, and these questions really forced her to do so. 

With graduation coming up, Allison is excited to graduate but simultaneously nervous.  Despite having many emotions running through her mind, she can say with certainty that feels ready to go to college.

A piece of advice she would give to other students is to “start your applications earlier in the summer.” To also be better prepared, she suggests others to “look up UC personal insight questions” and to “write an essay for each then pick four prompts you can write about easily.” Most UC application prompts can be reused for different schools, allowing students to be better prepared and making their other applications easier.

Myles Schroeder has applied to Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Long Beach, San Diego State, Cal State Channel Islands, Cal State San Marcos, and Cal Poly Pomona. He describes the application process as being “much easier than anticipated” as it only took a few hours and included “simple information like your transcripts, a small amount of financial information about your family; nothing too difficult.” 

Myles didn’t have to write any application essays, but he did have to write essays to gain scholarships. The prompt he remembers is “how the classes [he’s] taken in high school benefitted [him] for [his] future.” Colleges are looking to know who you are and how your high school experiences have shaped you.

He feels “nervous” to graduate from high school because he doesn’t know what’s “coming next.” He doesn’t feel ready for college because “adult life is so much different than high school,” and he isn’t sure how to anticipate the adjustment. It’s okay, because change is inevitable in life, and all things take getting used to.

A piece of advice Myles has to offer is not to “procrastinate until the very end” to submit applications because “sites can shut down” due to the influx of students trying to submit applications at the same time. 

Be sure to be diligent with your applications, Aztecs, and don’t wait until the last minute. The more prepared you are, the easier the process goes! We wish the best of luck to the graduating class of 2023 on their future endeavors.