College...
Sometimes I wonder... are the pains, struggles and accumulated stress I face when going through the college application process worth it? I've seen both of my older sisters, as well as upper classmen collapse under the immense pressure and stress. Even halfway into my junior, I feel the effects of being overstressed both mentally and physically. Constantly deprived of sleep, I feel myself dull and less reactive to things that I would readily have responded to just two years ago. Physically, I feel that I have trouble with things like sicknesses and get hit harder than before.
As I approach senior year and begin to look at colleges and the college application process, I constantly ask myself these questions.... Is this all worth it? Do I really need to go to an Ivy League school as an undergraduate? Will going to a top school really make me happier and more successful down the road? Frankly, high school students really have nothing to offer and differentiate themselves to the point that colleges can realistically pick one student over another, especially if both of them are high performing and very motivated applicants. This is just me ranting on about this process and trying to brainstorm my thoughts on stressing excessively over this whole process, so I will try to organize the two sides.
Pros:
1. better connections?
2. higher achieving peers that will further motivate me at school
3. name recognition
4. better professors? necessarily true??
Cons:
1. more stress than needed
2. ruin relationships with mom
3. what if I don't even get into a top school despite all this stress and effort? I would have sacrificed precious time that I could have spent with friends and family. After all, I may never see them again after high school.
4. trying to orient myself for colleges will prevent me from doing things I actually enjoy doing
As I approach senior year and begin to look at colleges and the college application process, I constantly ask myself these questions.... Is this all worth it? Do I really need to go to an Ivy League school as an undergraduate? Will going to a top school really make me happier and more successful down the road? Frankly, high school students really have nothing to offer and differentiate themselves to the point that colleges can realistically pick one student over another, especially if both of them are high performing and very motivated applicants. This is just me ranting on about this process and trying to brainstorm my thoughts on stressing excessively over this whole process, so I will try to organize the two sides.
Pros:
1. better connections?
2. higher achieving peers that will further motivate me at school
3. name recognition
4. better professors? necessarily true??
Cons:
1. more stress than needed
2. ruin relationships with mom
3. what if I don't even get into a top school despite all this stress and effort? I would have sacrificed precious time that I could have spent with friends and family. After all, I may never see them again after high school.
4. trying to orient myself for colleges will prevent me from doing things I actually enjoy doing
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