Although many seniors have already gotten back admission decisions from early decision applications, the majority of seniors are just now beginning to submit applications for the regular decision application pool. The stress hits students when they are asked where they want to go and what they want to major in, as if they are supposed to have their whole life planned at the age of 17 or 18. When most who are unsure are met with the reply, “Well, you better get on that and figure it out,” the stress amounts even more.

McIntosh senior Akosa Erinne who is applying to applying to University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Duke, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Harvard, University of Southern California, Stanford, Yale, Columbia and Cornell, does not feel stressed despite applying to so many universities.

Akosa’s planning and research has prevented him from feeling worried about the college application process. He said, “It’s important to look research every school you apply to and make sure you know what you are talking about; it helps with some of the essays and all of the interviews you may go to.”

Students have remarked that stress during senior year is greater because of the whole application process in general from researching schools and applying and writing essays to making sure SAT and ACT scores are satisfying admission requirements, but students look forward to what lies ahead after they graduate.

McIntosh senior Avya Bhargave said, “While the process of applying to colleges can be daunting and time consuming, the prospect of what lies ahead is exciting and makes the whole process worth it.”

For students struggling, McIntosh alumni now in college have reflected upon their application process and their experiences so far in various universities.

University of Southern California freshman Logan Austin disagrees with Akosa’s strategy for college application. He said, “Don’t apply to a million schools. It’ll only waste your time and money. Apply to your dream school, apply to a few others that might fit and make sure you have a backup.”

He continued, “College is amazing. Regardless of where you go, the fact that you’re at any sort of college is great, if only for the freedom.”

Savannah College of Art and Design freshman Parker Bradford said, “You have a lot more free time, but it’s important to leverage it and do something constructive. Be prepared to make compromises with your roommate. It’s exciting and liberating to be totally responsible for yourself; that’s one of the high points of the change to college, but obviously that means the consequences of your actions have more gravity. It’s definitely the time to become much more mature and learn to prioritize, but overall it’s a very exciting and novel time.”

University of Georgia freshman Ally Clonts said, “The hardest part about college is prioritizing and managing your time. The scariest thing about college is figuring out your major. But the most rewarding thing about college is now you have the opportunity to live the way you’ve always wanted. What do you want your story to be?”

University of Georgia freshman Jesse Hu said, “As for advice, I think the most important thing would be to follow the mantra ‘Early is on time, on time is late, late is in trouble’ with school work because being at pace with a class means all of the lectures are useless. Getting ahead is the only way to stay on top of everything.”

Mercer University freshman Ryan Lloyd said, “One thing I took for granted was how important time management is going to be. You’ll keep putting off work saying that it’ll get done the next day, and before you know it you’re pulling an all-nighter the night before something is due.”

Auburn University freshman Nathaly Marques said, “[M]y advice for people applying is that they always have back up plan colleges and not to procrastinate with applications. Even though we all like to leave it for last minute, deadlines in college are way more serious than in high school. In college, you learn to manage your time and responsibilities because it is so much easier to skip a class in high school.”

University of North Georgia freshman Tristen Cortez said, “Remember to keep your options open and take your time in deciding where you want to go. It isn’t a race. Make sure the college of your choice not only has what you want but also what you need to be prepared for your future. To be honest, no matter where you go, you will most likely be happy. The work is pretty hard, but you will be more motivated to do well mainly because you are now working towards a career.”

Overall, McIntosh alumni advise students to take the application process seriously by focusing on what they feel would be the best fit for them, but they caution students to understand that college is a time to truly learn how to properly manage time in order to succeed.