Many class of 2025 RM seniors are currently in the process of applying for colleges. Students are balancing classes, adjusting to the out of high school transition, and handling their applications.
There are several types of applications and admissions that students can look to. Early Action is when the student applies before an earlier deadline, and gets the decision back earlier than normal application. Early Decision also has an earlier deadline, but has a binding application, where if the applicant is accepted, they must go to that school.
“I have applied to seven schools, and I am possibly planning to apply to fourteen, but I might not apply to all of them,” senior Adam Dubelman said. “If I get into my early decision [Duke], which will come out sometime mid December, then the ones I was planning to apply to, I’m just not going to.”
Regular Decision is simply the normal deadline for students to submit their applications. “For all my regular decisions, they were either regular decisions or early decisions, which is binding,” senior Jaymar Examen said. Many students aren’t ready to commit to a binding decision for schools, so regular decision is normally what is chosen for those scenarios.
Most schools require additional supplemental essays in addition to the personal statement essay that is provided in applications. “I loved the UChicago one where it’s a free essay where you can just free ball. Those are fun,” senior Francis Paloma said. UChicago is known for its creative and thought-provoking supplemental essays, allowing more freedom for applicants to write.
Otherwise, supplemental essays are more specific to schools, asking more about qualities, passions, and why that school/major specifically appeals to the student. “I like writing supplementals because a lot of the questions are about you,” Paloma said. “I like the ‘why major’ ones because I can just copy my answers between essays,” Dubelman said.
Similarly, senior Johnell McConnell said her “favorite supplemental questions were the ones pertaining to why [she] chose [her] major, because it was a good opportunity to showcase [her] interests.”
While the entire application process can be difficult and extremely stressful to students, the actual submission of applications is typically satisfying for students. “It’s nice to submit stuff, like it feels good,” Dubelman said.
Likewise, Examen said his favorite part was “definitely getting it all done, like submitting to a school.”
For future applicants, many students agreed that it is always best to start early. “The hardest part was all the extra steps I didn’t know about until after applying,” McConnell said.
Leaving extra time in case of additional, unknown steps, or just for more time to think about essays is extremely important for students. “Everyone says it, but you definitely should [start early],” Paloma said.
Time management and avoiding cramming can help lighten the pressure for applicants. “And just have fun with it, don’t overthink it,” Dubelman said. “Just write as yourself, because you’re the person that you’re presenting.”
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