A critical time is approaching for the class of 2026, the moment they’ve been striving for their whole high school career for. Since freshman year, high schoolers worked their fingers to the bone taking hard classes, building their resumes, and filling their schedule with extracurricular activities. All for this dreaded moment: college applications.
For some, this process has been in the back of their minds for years, and for others, they just now realized that impending deadline. As the school year starts back up again, seniors are working tirelessly to balance their school work with the extra task of applications.
“There’s a lot to balance with school, and college applications, and then adding extracurriculars and sports. It’s just a lot happening at once.” Says senior, Hasini Kanthi.
The process of college applications entails standardized testing, writing personal essays, and finalizing that transcript. Putting their best foot forward, students will show off their top accomplishments and showcase their intelligence with their test scores.
At Green Level, the competition is fierce. Those numbers are what students put their blood, sweat, and tears into. How do you achieve the perfect SAT score? What will my final GPA be? Who will be ranked the highest?
However, this anxiety is not just putting a strain on students, there is just as much stress on the other side of the desk. The five academic counselors each have a course load of about 100 to 115 seniors. For each student, their counselor has a minimum of doing a transcript upload into the Common App and a counselor recommendation. This recommendation is not required for every school, but many schools do require it.
Due to the small number of counselors for the large senior class over 500 students, counselors may not know their assigned students very well. To combat this, they give out a Senior Packet that all seniors must complete to let them know a little more about themselves. They also set up senior meetings so they can see their students face to face to discuss their future.
“I think the thing that’s different about us compared to a teacher recommendation is that teachers see you guys for a whole semester. Sometimes we’ve only seen you in meetings here and there.” Dean of Students, Hamilton Roberts said. “That’s why we do the senior conferences, so every single senior is met with at least one time in September so we’re able to ask, what’s your plans? How can I help you?”
Roberts plays a critical role in overseeing the guidance counselors and the entirety of the senior class. While she is not directly assigned students, she is there to fill in the gaps and keep the process going smoothly. Roberts has been an integral cog in the machine of the application process for all students for a few years.
In the past, Roberts observed a difficulty for counselors to meet with each senior individually in such a short period of time. Having to meet with over 100 students in a week is not a simple task. To mitigate that pressure, they have implemented a small group system. Senior conferences are conducted in groups of three so that they can fit everyone into that timeline.
Senior conferences warrant much more than just a check in. Each student is at a different stage in their journey, some may have just begun and others may be closer to the finish line.
“You would think it’s the same conversation every day but it’s really not because every student has a different question. It’s kind of neat to find out what you guys want to do.” Says Roberts.
The most common route students take is a four year college or university, but that is not the only conversation being had in these meetings. That is why Mr. McAuliffe, the Career and Development Coordinator, is a lifesaver for many students. The counselors and administrators in Student Services work hand-in-hand with Mr. McAuliffe to make sure every student’s plan is achievable.
Roberts says, “That’s Mrs. Summer’s whole goal is that when she shakes your hand when you walk across the stage, you have a plan the next day of what you’re going to do. And that’s what we try to accomplish in the month of September.”
All of these components add up to be quite overwhelming for these teenagers. It’s common for students to just now recognize the fact that they are running out of time. Kanthi wishes she hadn’t saved the majority of her work for these last few months.
Kanthi advises the next class of seniors, “Do not procrastinate. Do it in the summer, study for your tests, do your essays, everything.”
Roberts, on the other hand, advises seniors not to fret about being behind.
“I think sometimes, especially when you’re talking to your friends, there is going to be somebody who’s way ahead of you and there’s going to be somebody that’s way behind you.” Said Roberts, “Embrace your moment because the more that you compare to what somebody else is doing or not doing, we forget that it’s your life and your future.”
The Class of 2026 is finally taking that next step, their future is closer than ever. Many have a dream, something they wish to be when they grow up, and it’s time to finally put that plan into action. Negativity is a dark hole many have fallen into, but instead of focusing on possible failures, it’s important to look towards the upcoming success. In January and February, the majority of students come to the office not with a rejection, but with so many acceptances that they don’t know what to choose.
Roberts encourages students to come into student services if they ever need anything, that is what they are here for. They are trained to handle your questions, big or small. Ms. Darges, counselor, encourages all students to embrace the journey and stay true to your goals.
“Take a big deep breath and trust the process. It’s not about where you start, if you really want that piece of paper to say a certain school, there’s a path to that school.”
Best of luck to this year’s seniors, the future is bright for the Class of 2026!
