With 2020 nearing a close, many of iUniversity Prep’s Seniors are gearing up and beginning preparations for college. Among these preparations, submitting college applications is one of the most important. High school seniors hoping to attend a university must present their grades, experiences, and an essay to even be considered for admittance. 

The college application process is no casual task. Students who undergo this process are preparing for further education: four more years of schooling and hopefully, a degree and successful career afterwards. Seniors at iUPrep have begun, and some have even finished this process! 

Zoe Erickson, senior, is an aspiring film director. Her goal is to receive a degree in filmmaking. She walked into her college application process excited and confident. Zoe said that the hardest part of her application was writing the essay and finding scholarships. She also had to write a research essay for one application, and a whole screenplay with a personal statement for another one! 

Her advice for fellow seniors and rising juniors is to “…start the application process early!! If you turn it in earlier than the deadline you’ll hear back from the colleges faster. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and turn in your best work, even do the optional stuff.”

Props to Zoe for completing her college applications early and good luck to her on her future endeavors!

Another iUPrep senior, Izzy Dimos is in the middle of her application process. She said that she’s excited about going to college, but also nervous about leaving home. The hardest part for Izzy was starting the application and filling out her personal details. She said that her teachers and parents helped her very much during her process. Izzy also mentioned that her peers in the SRS group chat were a great help. Shout out to the SRS! Congratulations to Izzy for beginning her journey towards higher education!

I also interviewed Ayushi Agarwal, who is nearing the end of her application process. She stepped into this process feeling both scared and excited. The hardest part of her application was also starting it and writing the essay. The easiest part for her was the test scores, since this year’s seniors test scores are waived due to COVID-19. Ayushi had help from her parents, siblings, and Mrs. Miller, our iUPrep Counselor. Her advice to you is this: “Be yourself~ everything happens for a reason and you will go where you are meant to go!!” Ayushi hopes to graduate with the distinguished foundation program and to start her own business after college. Congrats to Ayushi for taking a step towards college, and a huge thank you to Mrs. Miller for being a great counselor!

Guin Rogers, iHoot’s co-editor in chief, is done with her college applications! Guin was both excited and scared to begin her journey towards college. She said that she didn’t particularly like completing the resume, but did have this to say about writing the essay: “I guess [I liked] the essay, because it was fun for me to reflect on my life. Most of the time we take for granted our experiences so it was really good for me to see how far I’ve come. [It] Gave me some hope about the future.” Her advice for fellow seniors is like Zoe’s: “START EARLY!! My biggest source of stress was figuring out which schools I would apply to.” She also has some advice concerning scholarships: “…there are plenty of scholarships that will help you, so apply for those. The small ones really add up, so remember to apply to those.”

As a senior myself, I went through this process feeling much like my peers: both anticipating it and feeling nervous. I walked through my application process easily until I hit the essay requirement. Luckily, iUPrep’s amazing teachers and staff helped me overcome this obstacle. Mrs. Harbison, our school’s AP English Literature teacher, gave great feedback and helped me through this process. 

I also had help from my parents and older brother. My old English teacher also supported me greatly during this process. I am ecstatic to begin a new chapter in my life! Yet some fears persist, as they do in the face of the unknown and the unexpected. Through the help of teachers, my parents, and some of my friends, I’ve managed to rein in this fear and turn it into excitement.

Congratulations again to our iUniversityPrep Seniors! We are taking on a daunting task and preparing for our futures. A huge thank you to the amazing iUPrep teachers and staff. And every other senior out there, I hope this article gave you insight in your future planning for college or helped you move towards your goals for higher education.