College Applications
Before senior year rolls around for students at North, the discussion of college hangs over many. With the AVID classes and the counseling center, students begin the process as soon as high school begins, with meetings for each grade, ICAP, and Personalized Plans. Though it doesn’t register for many until junior year.
“We have a junior meeting that really kind of goes over applying through Common App, going through and visiting schools, thinking about ACT, and really having those pieces thought about before they come into senior year to alleviate some of that stress,” counselor Jill Brock said.
This process includes narrowing down the colleges that students pick to apply to. With there being so many colleges in-state and out-of-state, it’s easy for many students to have trouble figuring out which direction to take.
“I would go with that three tier fit: the academic, social, and financial fit because all of those aspects are necessary, especially if you’re leaving home to go to school. Even alternate programs in case things wouldn’t work,” AVID teacher Tim Chambers said.
Certain requirements that students have to fill out on applications consist of things related to the student and information about the school. This helps give the college an idea of what the student body is like and makes it easier on kids.
“The application in itself is fairly simple. They will say ‘Give us what courses you’ve taken’ Maybe they’ll ask about the big demographic pieces. Many state schools, all they want is your info, the school’s info and then that transcript release that happens in schoolinks,” Brock said.
Some find challenges with financing with scholarships, scores, and figuring out where to apply. Many students worry about the amount of pressure, but there are many resources available for students to find ways to handle it.
“You still have lots of options, you just need to know those. Really make sure that you have the programs you are interested in and the alternate ones that might be there too. Talk to people: your counselors and people like me. I love helping people,” Chambers said.
Balancing Life With Everything
With all of the activities North has to offer, extracurriculars in and out of school may rack up easily. Difficulties with balancing can usually pose conflicts during senior year.
“As a senior, I have more responsibilities within the clubs that I do. Females Empowered, we have to do a senior project in order to get our cords. Same thing with Interact Club. It’s about balancing those things I do within schools but also outside of school,” senior Kaitlyn Winfrey said.
With an increased schedule comes techniques needed in order to manage it all properly.
“I balance it by making sure I get everything done. I have a calendar where I have the events and then I have a separate list of what I need to get done that day. Then I also record my weekly stuff so I know what is going on for the upcoming days,” senior Preston Elliot said.
Some of the techniques that come with having so much to juggle are figuring out how to manage time. Learning how to manage activities can also come with making sacrifices.
“I have to do a lot of communicating with my directors and coaches to try and figure out how I can make that work. When I’m super busy, I need to have time to myself. I would say try to have some time for you and your mental health. Sometimes, it doesn’t work. I either have to pick one or the other,” Winfrey said.
Even with these struggles, there are positives and negatives that students may take away from a large workload, both. With this comes a development of routine, mapping out how students navigate their day-to-day.
“Having a busy schedule impacts my life because there’s no time to rest a lot. It also keeps me on a routine which I like because I know what to expect. It’s nice knowing what I should expect for the upcoming day and the days after,” Elliot said.
With balancing schedules and life, it’s important for all parties to be involved in order to help make things work.
“The communication is such a big thing to try and make everything work. When I do communicate, I’m able to have a set schedule. It’s a lot less intimidating when you do have good time management, good schedules, and just the ability to make it all work,” Winfrey said.
How to Apply for Scholarships with Lauren Eikel
- Read the description about it, and figure out what it’s for
- Look at the eligibility requirements for that scholarship to see if you meet the criteria (i.e gpa and activities you’re involved in)
- Fill out the application depending on the information that it is asking for (may include an essay or a letter of recommendation, depending on what the scholarship is for)
- Submit the necessary information to finalize by the deadline that’s posted