The college admissions process often starts as early as July and extends over several months to January for high school seniors. While some apply to a select few schools, others dive in, submitting applications to over ten universities in search of the perfect fit. According to the Common App’s Deadline update, there has been a 7% increase in total applications, with students submitting to 5.94 schools on average during the 2025-2026 cycle.
On the eve of submitting her final applications, senior Olive Minor took a step back to reflect on the process and what it demanded of her. After weeks of balancing essays, deadlines, and self-expectations, she realized the effort wasn’t just about getting into college.
“I realized I was doing it more to prove to myself that I could get in, and that just wasn’t worth it,” Minor said.
Even as she focused on schools she genuinely wanted to attend, Minor found certain aspects of the system confusing. Between emails, recruitment materials and scholarship offers, it was sometimes hard to know what to trust.
Minor said the pressure of college applications often piles on top of an already demanding school schedule. Between managing homework, extracurriculars and multiple application deadlines, she said it is daunting for students to be expected to navigate a process they’ve never encountered before.
“On top of all of our schoolwork, we’re expected to know how to do things we’ve never done before, and do them for multiple schools,” Minor said. “Our education system could use a little bit more support instead of just putting a list of resources on a Google page and calling it good.”
Similarly, senior Drew Harrison, who applied to 15 schools, said that he experienced feelings of burnout and overload, and said that the application process was mentally exhausting and difficult to balance with other commitments.
Additionally, Harrison said that the stress of completing so many applications adds up, but reduces once submitted; however, the workload can make students feel like much of their effort is wasted once decisions come out.
“You write all these applications for all these schools … and to be honest, if I’m only going to go to one school out of those 15 or 16, the rest of it seems like it’s going to waste,” Harrison said.
Some students approach the application process one step at a time to manage stress, which is the strategy senior Jacob Wang implemented. Wang said breaking the work into smaller, manageable pieces helps him stay on track.
“If I finish this application, it’s done. I don’t have to worry about it anymore. It’s one less brick on my shoulder, and having that step-by-step mindset really helped me get through the process,” Wang said.
Wang said that not every outreach from colleges influences a student’s decisions. Wang said he focuses only on schools that align with his goals and interests, and said he advises others to do the same.
“Unless they’re really a college I’m looking for, I kind of just push them away. Their reaching out to me isn’t going to decide whether I want to go there. I’m looking at my future and what I want to do,” Wang said.
As advice for managing the college application process for the upcoming senior class, Minor suggested starting the planning process as early as possible. She said beginning early allows students more time to reflect on their experiences and refine their writing, rather than rushing to meet deadlines. Minor added that spreading the work out over several months can help reduce stress and prevent the process from becoming overwhelming.
“Narrow it down and do incremental work, because sitting down and trying to write everything at once just doesn’t work, and make very clear deadlines for yourself,” Minor said.
