As many are aware, fall is by far the busiest time for most students; a new school year has just begun, people are navigating their classes and schedules, and everyone is finding their rhythm for the year. Out of all the fall months, however, October and November are often thought of as the most stressful, and for seniors, this couldn’t be more true.
Each grade level comes with its own unique challenges and struggles. In freshman year, you are beginning your high school journey, making friends, and adjusting to a completely new environment. During sophomore year, you are continuing to find your place and discovering where you belong in the KO community. In junior year, not only does the coursework become more difficult as you take harder and more advanced classes, but you enter the beginning of the college process, a whole new world for you. It is in senior year, however, that things begin to escalate extremely quickly.
As a senior, you have to think about a number of things, such as your heavy course load and schoolwork, keeping your grades up in the first quarter, and managing your social life and mental health, all the while applying to colleges and making major life decisions. Although it can be extremely stressful at times, the 2025 senior class is doing an amazing job balancing this load.
Most seniors in high school will apply either Early Action or Regular Decision to most colleges, and as of right now, our seniors are right on track. According to senior Ysabel Albert, the college process so far has been stressful, but with the help of the KO team and her hard work and dedication, things are going okay right now. “As schoolwork picks up and we reach a halfway point in our fall sports, it becomes hard to balance everything,” Yzzy said, “but I think that I will feel significantly less stressed once all of my applications are submitted.”
Similarly, senior Lily Temkin feels like she is at a good place in the process right now. “Since we have so many great resources at KO and so much guidance, the process has definitely been simplified,” Lily said, “and I think I’m definitely feeling relieved knowing I’m getting everything done.”
Another route that students often take is to apply Early Decision to a college. This decision is a bit more intimidating to some seniors, as if they are accepted, it is a binding commitment to the school.
Senior Eleanor Toomey is applying Early Decision to William and Mary College, and she says that her college process has consisted of a lot of ups and downs. “Thankfully, I found a college that I am super excited about, enough to apply early to, which makes my process a lot easier, but for a while, I didn’t have a clue where I wanted to go,” Eleanor said. Not only does Early Decision boost an applicant’s chances at most universities, but it takes some of the load off earlier in the process.
“It’s hard to balance school, college applications, social life, work, and other clubs and activities,” Eleanor said, “but it’s nice to think about how in just a couple months, this whole thing will be over, and then it will just be a waiting game.”
One other common path that students often follow is committing to a school through athletics. KO builds powerful athletes who are dedicated to their sport, and many of those athletes find success by continuing their love of the game in college. So far this year, we have had numerous athletic commitments in the senior grade, and I’m sure we’ll see plenty more before the semester is done.
Senior Claire Palmer is one of our most talented runners here at KO, and she is committed to Middlebury College to continue cross country, track, and outdoor track. Her college process looked a little different than others, with hers starting the summer after her sophomore year. “By junior year, I’d compiled a list of schools where I was seriously being recruited and submitted my academic profile to these schools,” Claire said, “and by senior year, I was able to attend overnight recruitment visits to decide which school I liked the best.” The main difference that Claire points out is that everything starts a lot earlier. She found it stressful thinking about college earlier than everyone else, and she felt as if the stakes were higher.
Senior Dominic Trolio feels the same way. Dom is committed to play baseball at Seton Hall University, and he says that his college process has been a lot different than others. “My decision wasn’t solely based off of academics, but also the situation and level of the baseball team,” Dom said. “It was very stressful just because everything is based off of performance under pressure, but I wouldn’t have wanted to do it any other way.”
Senior Olivia Gallup has also officially committed to play softball at Trinity College, and she says that her college process has been long and draining, while at the same time extremely rewarding. “As an athlete who was aspiring to play in college, I had to start thinking about recruitment the summer going into freshman year,” Liv said. She says that playing at the next level has been a dream of hers since she was little, so despite the many ups and downs of this stressful process, she would not trade it for the world. “I am glad that now I can focus more on my studies and not on my college applications,” she said, “but I will say that a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders.”
Overall, KO has done a great job of supporting our seniors as they take this huge step into the next chapter of their lives. Although the tough work is not yet done for our hardworking seniors, and this is only the beginning of their long journey ahead, we know that they will all do amazing things wherever they go!
