As the school year winds down, seniors are finding relief and pride after months of navigating the college application process, a journey filled with both challenges and memorable moments.
“I have a lot of go-to study snacks and caffeine orders. If you take a look at my Starbucks app, I spend like a lot of money on
it. Well, the caffeine order that I ordered the most is the $3 coffee from Starbucks. This is a grande oat milk, two shots of espresso, and one pump of vanilla. And a study snack. I usually eat fruits, cut fruits from my mom.” —Tram Nguyen
“The more open-minded a student can be, the easier it [the application process] is. If people get really locked in on one
specific school or one specific program, if it works out then it’s awesome, but if you get a denial to something that you loved we’ll give you 24 hours to like mope and eat all the chocolate and cry. And then we got to pick ourselves up and get back on because it wasn’t the right fit. But the more open-minded you can be, the bigger the net you cast.” —Laura Tully
“I definitely think the shackles emoji would show it [the application process]. Because I was really chained to the process, I don’t have
any other plan than to apply to universities. And so I felt really locked down towards it.“ —Ahmad Tareq Khalili
it. Well, the caffeine order that I ordered the most is the $3 coffee from Starbucks. This is a grande oat milk, two shots of espresso, and one pump of vanilla. And a study snack. I usually eat fruits, cut fruits from my mom.” —Tram Nguyen
“The more open-minded a student can be, the easier it [the application process] is. If people get really locked in on one
specific school or one specific program, if it works out then it’s awesome, but if you get a denial to something that you loved we’ll give you 24 hours to like mope and eat all the chocolate and cry. And then we got to pick ourselves up and get back on because it wasn’t the right fit. But the more open-minded you can be, the bigger the net you cast.” —Laura Tully
“I definitely think the shackles emoji would show it [the application process]. Because I was really chained to the process, I don’t have
any other plan than to apply to universities. And so I felt really locked down towards it.“ —Ahmad Tareq Khalili
For Tram Nguyen, the process was emotionally taxing yet ultimately rewarding.
“I cried a lot, stressing myself out because of the supplemental essays,” Nguyen said. “Sometimes I’d doubt myself because I would think, ‘I’m not good enough for these colleges,’ but in reality, it’s just applying to colleges. Wherever you end up, is where you’re supposed to be.”
Despite the stress, Nguyen noted that the hardest part was tackling the supplemental essays and pulling all-nighters, yet the experience also offered moments of excitement and self-reflection.
“The most exciting part is the extracurricular activities,” Nguyen said. “So before that, I did not know I had this many extracurricular activities, but when I put it all out, I felt proud of myself because I did all of this.”
Nguyen credited a strong support network for helping manage the pressures of applying to ten colleges, including Columbia University and the University of Texas at Austin.
“I’m really grateful for my friends, my teachers, my counselor,” Nguyen said, “and also my mentors who helped me to build this college application process as a first-generation student.”
With a clear strategy in place, Nguyen emphasized the importance of early preparation and meticulous time management.
“Always, always start early. Always start early. So I started in July to list all my college applications and made a college list. It’s also important to do in-depth research, because it’s gonna be
where you’re going to end up for 4 years. It’s really important.”
Ahmad Tareq Khalili also reflected on his college journey, describing the process as both demanding and rewarding.
“I think it was definitely tedious since I applied to 16 colleges, but the most stressful part was definitely the supplemental essays for every different college, but it was a fun process.”
His top choices included MIT, Cornell, Columbia, Georgia Tech, and Rice University, with MIT standing out as his dream school due to the opportunities it offers graduates. Khalili highligh
ted the personal growth that came from essay writing, particularly when reflecting on influential figures in his life.
“I think my parents really helped me write my personal essay, because they memorize a lot of personal stuff about me,” Khalili said. “Also, some supplementers were like, ‘Who is the most impactful person in your life?’ And so I wrote either about my mom or my dad.”
Similarly, Khalili found guidance from his parents invaluable, particularly when crafting essays that reflected his authentic voice.
Behind the scenes, college counselor Mrs. Tully has been instrumental in guiding seniors through the increasingly complex admissions landscape.
“Admissions are super complicated. It used to be a pretty standardized, easy process,” Mrs. Tully said. “And then COVID happened, and every college just started doing their own thing… it truly is a complicated process. It takes a lot of research. It takes a lot of dedication and time.”
Tully stressed the dual challenges seniors face: navigating the practical demands of applications while managing the emotional weight of making their first major adult decision.
“The biggest challenge from a practical standpoint is managing all of the different requirements for all of the different universities…” Mrs. Tully said. “And the biggest emotional challenge is just that the
college application process is always anxiety-producing because for your whole life, your next step has been planned for you… And then all of a sudden, this is really your first adult decision.”
In advising future applicants, both students and counselors emphasized preparation, organization, and authenticity.
“Start it early, and also have a Google calendar to list all the tasks we need to finish by today, or by tomorrow, this week.” Nguyen said.”It’s just about time management.”
Khalili echoes the importance of early planning:
“Start your applications before your year starts,” Khalili said. Start writing your college essays in July, and try to see what your favorite college supplementals are so that you can just get ahead on them because they can really stack up on you.”
Mrs. Tully reminded students to maintain perspective and trust the process.
“It will work out. It always does… The school is not what makes you; you make you.” Mrs.Tully said. “And so it is about, are you going to take the opportunities that are afforded to you wherever you are?”
Reflecting on his application journeys, Khalili expresses a sense of relief and accomplishment after clicking “submit”.
“There’s a lot of stress taken off my shoulders,” Khalili said. I think I can really focus on my academics now.”
Their experiences illustrate that while the college application process is demanding, it also offers opportunities for personal growth, self-discovery, and preparation for the next chapter of life. They pave the way for soon-to-be seniors by leading by example.
