APPLICATIONS
Student applications bring wave of stressBY MARTHA BENNETT ON OCTOBER 10, 2014
The dawn of the fall season is bringing students at Rose of all grade levels to start applying to clubs, honor societies and for seniors, college. Student applications always bring questions of “What should I write for this?,”What are they asking for?,” and “When does it end?”
The application process for students can be very stressful and cause students to panic especially when due dates draw near and applications are not complete. “I think the hardest part is making sure you’re filling out the application right,” junior Holden Williams said. “Some applications ask you to get transcripts and signatures, while another might ask you for an essay. It can be very confusing.” Williams has applied for National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta and Social Studies Honor Society. “Junior year has been known as the year that [students] really start thinking about after high school,” Williams said. “I just want to get more involved in school and with my courses.” When senior year comes around, a whole new pressure sets in as students decide what schools to apply to and ultimately think about the unknown future. “The fact that this determines my future for the rest of my life is pretty crazy,” senior Kabir Mohammed said. “I think I’m going to be applying to nine or ten schools so hopefully I can get into the school of my choice.” Besides filling out endless applications online for colleges, seniors also look to previous teachers for letters of recommendation. Social studies teacher Stephanie Noles is a popular favorite among seniors for these letters and is also a head advisor of Link Crew and Social Studies Honor Society. “It’s important for colleges to see what sets students apart so I try to emphasize [in my letters] the things I remember about them the most and what makes them a leader,” Noles said. “I’ve had some of my students multiple times throughout their high school career and I’ve really enjoyed making some sort of [heart-felt tribute] to the memories I’ve had the pleasure of sharing with them.” On the flip side, freshmen are starting to apply to their first clubs and societies. “It has been a little different,” freshman Kailey Markland said. “I’ve only applied to Art Honor Society so far and the application wasn’t too different from some I’ve had to do for middle school, but I want to apply for more clubs and [societies] in the next few years so I know those are going to be a lot more different.” When upperclassmen Mohammed and Williams were asked what advice they would give to freshman about applying to clubs and societies, they both responded with the same answer: “Start early.” “It’s important to get started as soon as possible,” Mohammed said. “The more you start applying at an early age, the more you can figure out what your likes and dislikes are so you have a better idea of what you might want to focus on in the future.” Even though students are happier when applications are over and done, students gain experience and learn what can be expected in their near futures. “It’s important to make sure that [students] don’t get too caught up in trying to apply for so many different things," Noles said."Because, although high school is the stepping stone to college, it is important to remember that students are teenagers and should not overdrive themselves into making high school a bad memory rather than the learning experience it should be.” |
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