Each fall, the college counseling office buzzes with excitement – and anxiety. Between early deadlines, activity lists, and essay drafts, college application season at Kingswood Oxford brings both anticipation and exhaustion. For many seniors, it’s our most defining moment of high school yet, and also the most stressful.
As a senior myself, I’ve felt it firsthand. The constant cycle of editing essays, checking portals, and comparing progress to others. Every conversation seems to revisit the same topics: Where are you applying? Have you submitted yet? What are your top choices? The conversations feel exciting for maybe five minutes, and then just circle back to the stress of the next supplemental you have to finish writing. Or the closing sentence of your personal statement you forgot to tweak. Associate Director of College Counseling Matt Waldman must be sick of how many times I go into his office a week with what are probably dumb questions, but at this point, it’s a necessary part of my routine.
The pressure builds over time. KO’s college counseling program begins in junior year, but the subject hovers long before that. Sophomores hear upperclassmen discuss their lists, and the anxiety trickles down. By the time senior year starts, many of us already feel behind.
“College applications take over your brain,” senior Olivia Pilecki admitted. “And there’s so much uncertainty. You can do everything ‘right’ and still be unsure of how it’ll turn out.”
That uncertainty often leads to comparison. When a peer finishes an essay early or gets strong test scores, it’s easy to question your own progress. Social media only makes it worse. Seeing peers post commitment photos or “accepted!” captions can spark both pride and panic. We are always told that no two paths are the same and to avoid comparison. While this advice is true, it can be hard to follow when acceptance rates at selective schools continue to drop. The process feels more and more competitive every year.
“You can tell when the pressure hits,” English teacher Caitlin Moriarty said. “Students and advisees who are usually confident start doubting every line of their personal statements or supplementals. They want it to be perfect because they think one word could change everything.”
In response, KO counselors encourage balance, with SGA setting aside special events, including Senior Sunrise, to remind us that senior year holds more than applications. In the rush of deadlines, it is easy to forget that this is our last year together – a community some of us have even been part of for the past seven years.
Some students find their own ways to decompress. “I try to keep one night a week totally off-limits for college stuff,” senior Ava Bonsignore explained. “Otherwise it’d be easy to burn out.”
After months in the process, many of my friends and peers had their own insights to offer. “Get ahead of the process early, because it comes at you fast,” senior Tyler Brown advised. “It’ll be over before you know it.”
For me, the most comforting advice came from alumnus Emily Lowit ’15: “It all works out, even if it doesn’t look the way you imagined,” she assured me. And she’s right – the college process feels all-consuming now, but it’s only one chapter.
As the first deadlines pass and winter decisions approach, the stress won’t disappear overnight. But perhaps the lesson for KO’s Class of 2026 is that we are not defined by where we end up; we are defined by how we got there, and how we supported each other along the way. I encourage each of you to continue supporting one another, whether you are a middle schooler, underclassman, or one of my senior peers. Soon enough, we will all be walking across that stage together!
