The clock ticked loudly as it neared 11:59 p.m., and a sense of urgency rushed through senior Kary Au as her shaky hands continued typing in a final attempt to submit her college applications before the deadline closed. “I finished my applications on time, and I feel really relieved because the biggest part is done,” Au said. “The anxious part is waiting for admission and seeing your results.”
For Au, balancing school and personal life was already difficult. With teachers assigning heavy workloads, finding free time was challenging, but college applications caused the pressure to intensify.
College applications present multiple challenges, as seniors must apply for scholarships and colleges and universities, consider potential majors, and research which schools best align with their academic goals.
Senior Danny Yu shared his experience with the application process. “What made applications stressful was summing up your four years of high school into an essay,” Yu said. “If you mess up, you cannot be admitted into a good college, which makes strong writing really important.”
As the school year progressed, Au felt the tension build while trying to balance academics and her personal life. However, as she drafted her essays and responded to application prompts, her confidence slowly grew.
Early action deadlines for the University of California and California State University systems closed on Dec. 1. In the final moments before the deadline, Au was revising her Personal Insight Questions to ensure they accurately reflected her experiences. As the clock approached 11:59 p.m., the University of California application website began to crash.
As the site glitched, Au panicked when she was unable to submit her application. With her hands trembling and stress increasing, she hoped she would still be able to submit before the deadline. When the page refreshed while she was saving her extracurricular activities, Au was forced to start over.
As she retyped her information, the stress intensified with each passing minute. Racing against the clock, Au braced for the worst.
Minutes passed as website traffic increased, causing the page to slow significantly.
Thankfully, Au was able to submit her University of California application before 11:59 p.m.
Reflecting on the experience, Au shared her relief. “I felt amazing when I was able to submit my UC applications,” she said. “When you submit close to the deadline, a lot of people are on the website, which causes traffic. That is why I ran into problems, but I submitted them in the end, so I was really glad they were not delayed.”
After completing her applications, Au treated herself and finally relaxed after four months of writing and revising essays.
With her applications completed, Au could shift her focus back to school and personal time without the constant pressure of deadlines.
Counselor Haggie described the emotions students often experience after submitting their applications. “I feel like students are really relieved and a little nervous when they complete their applications,” Haggie said. “They have to wait and see who accepts them, which can be nerve-wracking, but students are working very hard and doing a great job.”
Although Au now waits for acceptance and rejection letters, she feels content knowing the process is complete. Free from the weight of college applications, Au is able to focus on enjoying her senior year.
