Junior year is often cited as the hardest year of high school. Standardized tests, increased academic pressure and course load, and the looming responsibility of maxing out a college resumé give this third year of high school a never-ending and frantic feel. For many, the only thing getting them through is the assumption that things will get easier with the inception of senior year, but Hellgate seniors are discovering that the worst was really yet to come.
“Senior year’s workload is harder, especially with college applications,” said senior Ella Stone. “Calc took up so much time last year, but that’s typically a senior class.” Stone said she is applying to around 15 colleges, so apps take up a lot of her time.
“College apps are definitely an added pressure on top of life,” said senior Will Ries, who is applying to around five schools. “A lot of late night studying.”
In addition to workload-related stress, many seniors struggle to balance college apps with non-academic responsibilities. Ries, who plays soccer, said keeping up with sports, school, and college apps has been a struggle.
“I love soccer, it’s one of my biggest passions, but it definitely can be challenging having practice two hours a day every day after school,” he said. Many athletes have to miss significant amounts of school for away games, which puts them behind on school work, and Ries said that handling this on top of college apps is very challenging.
“Missing classes and being expected to not drop the ball can be hard and exhausting,” he said. “It is entirely possible to do but it involves sacrifice such as time away from family and friends.”
Ries isn’t alone in his difficulty balancing obligations.
“I’ve just been trying to balance my social life and it being my last year of high school with staying on top of assignments and college apps,” said senior Ryan Meservy, who is applying to around 20 schools. She said that “prioritizing her time” has been key in staying on top of work while still having time to go to school events, like football and volleyball games.
College application season often has serious implications for teens’ mental health.
“In my experience with teenagers, I’ve witnessed that the college application process can often be grueling and stressful,” said Sophia Jensen, a local therapist who often works with high schoolers. “The difficulty of the process dovetailed with high expectations can be tough on mental health.”
Jensen said these impacts are expedited by social media.
“I do see, on a daily basis, how addictive and detrimental phone use and social media are on people of all ages, especially teenagers,” she said. “There is the illusion of the perfect life or perfect college that most teens compare themselves to and it often increases depression and anxiety.”
Jensen said it is important to remember that this illusion is not reality. She said she encourages seniors to not let their entire self esteem be dependent on which schools they get accepted into.
Regardless, this worry is sometimes unavoidable for some seniors.
“I’d say the most stressful part is second guessing yourself and worrying about where you’re going to end up,” Meservy said.
Hellgate is lucky to have such a talented team of counselors to assist seniors with the college application process. Meservy said she is glad the counselors are so willing to help, as that isn’t the case everywhere.
“Teachers are also understanding and know we have a lot going on which can take some stress off sometimes,” she said.
However, the school’s resources aren’t applicable for all seniors.
“I don’t think the school can help to a high degree,” Ries said. “The counselors have been great but ultimately college apps are extracurricular so I try and just approach them as such.”
Jensen said there are a number of coping strategies for seniors during this stressful time. The first is limiting social media usage.
“I know most teenagers want to push against limits and boundaries but more phone use, especially social media, will not help with overwhelm,” she said. Furthermore, Jensen recommended talking to fellow seniors with similar stress and current college students who have already gone through the process.
Ries said that spending time with friends and family when he can helps distract him from some of the stress of college apps. He also said that staying focused is important.
“Currently I’m trying to limit my procrastination to no avail as I’m answering your questions at 11:05 p.m. instead of doing AP Physics,” Ries said.
“I try to fill out the applications whenever I have dead time in class,” Meservy said. “I also tried to get a head start during summer so I got a few knocked out then which has helped with a bunch of stress.”
Ries agreed: “Starting early is key. Sleep is also super important,” he said.
“My best hack if I have a lot of work is to bake cookies cause there’s a lot of time to do homework and write essays when they’re cooking,” Meservy said. “Then I can bring them to school which I know a lot of my friends love.”
“Overall I feel pretty good about it,” Ries said. “I’ve worked on my essays and almost everything is ready to go.”
The class of 2026 would do well to live by this sentiment: be proud of the work completed, and know it’s all going to turn out how it’s supposed to. The process of college applications is well on its way to completion, and many seniors are already looking forward to wearing their college’s name in the halls.
“I’m just excited to be excited about a school,” Meservy said.
