Most Aliso Niguel High School senior students, the graduating class of 2025, have submitted the last of their applications to their chosen universities and colleges by now. While the anxiety of application season has been alleviated, the weight of waiting for their college results and seeing which schools have accepted, rejected, deferred, or waitlisted them has started to take its toll.
The first semester of senior year was a time of heightened tension for many senior students at ANHS. With the added pressure of a deadline, preparing and submitting their college applications before that deadline amplified the stress. Drafting personal statements, securing recommendation letters and keeping track of deadlines for each school, the experience kept many seniors strained throughout the months leading up to the day of submitting their application.
Aaron Tran (12) said, “Ever since I submitted my college applications, my pressure has been significantly reduced. I was under immense pressure while working on my application, submitting it before the deadlines and balancing my academics at the same time. Now that all of that is over, it has been more peaceful to not have to worry about that. Compared to waiting for decisions, it is definitely less stressful than filling out the applications.”
This period of intense focus on applications often left students feeling burnt out, as they tried to craft the perfect application package for the schools they wished to attend while maintaining their academics. With the added uncertainty of either being accepted or denied by their dream schools, this only fueled the pressure they felt.
Amitis Yaghini (12) said, “After submitting all my applications, I feel relieved and proud of myself for being able to go through that stressful period. For the first semester of senior year, most of my focus was on applications. I felt like I was always occupied with a task, whether it was essays, applications, or figuring out what schools to apply to. It was overwhelming, and I had to balance that with schoolwork and extracurriculars.”
Senior students generally feel less stressed in the spring semester compared to the fall semester and find themselves in a calmer mindset. Although the results of their applications have yet to arrive, many senior students feel a sense of relief now that the most stressful part of the process is behind them.
Applying for financial aid and scholarships is the next big step the seniors need to take while waiting for their decisions. Seniors now face the new challenge of filling out various financial aid forms and scholarship applications.
These forms often require students and their families to gather detailed financial information and go through multiple parts, making it a lengthy and time-consuming process. Some students are anxious about what financial aid they will or will not be receiving, which impacts the decision of which school they will be attending in the upcoming months.
Ms. Nguyen, the College and Career Advantage Counselor, said, “One of the greatest anxieties seniors are facing right now is searching for scholarship opportunities and completing their financial aid forms because they are starting to recognize the financial burden and reality of tuition costs. Currently, the most frequently asked questions I get from seniors are regarding financial aid forms and scholarship opportunities. I try to give them as many resources as I can, and I am also hosting workshops during Wolverine+ to guide students in completing their forms.”
Senior students’ stress levels have reduced since the application deadline, but they still feel the weight of decisions to be made regarding their future. While awaiting acceptance letters, navigating financial aid and enjoying the last few months of senior year, this is a bittersweet moment for seniors as they deal with various emotions and changes in their lives.
