Senior year is stressful. Your entire high school career accumulates into one application that decides your immediate future. Although most kids are pretty knowledgeable about college and the whole process, since this is Northern Virginia, some aspects are just left up to kids to figure out.
College applications, although somewhat simplified through CommonApp, are still somewhat a mystery for seniors. Questions like, “What are the differences between teacher recommendations and teacher input forms?” “Do counselor or teacher recommendations have to change with each college application?” and “What are the benefits and drawbacks for Early Action versus Regular Decision?” aren’t explicitly addressed to seniors anywhere. Similarly, there are aspects of the CommonApp that don’t apply to Fairfax County at all, such as sections like class rankings, leaving some students (especially me) confused as to what to enter there.
When the Sept. 18 deadline for parent, peer and teacher input forms were due, most of the senior class freaked out. A big red glowing deadline is nothing new, but when it has something to do with your long term future, it grabs and holds attention. Every counselor had a different way of approaching it. Some sent out informational emails throughout the summer that were helpful guidelines, while others didn’t mention it until days before the due date.
This is a huge problem. I understand that as almost adults, seniors should search for answers and information on their own and take control of their own futures, but when it isn’t clear where this information can be accessed, it creates problems.