Essays, applications, and recommendations are staple stresses of senior year. Looking back on their final year, seniors remember all the steps they took to push them forward into their future.

The graduating class of 2018 leaves behind its guidance for those juniors that will be applying for college in the coming months.

The entirety of their last year has been a journey of advancing to a higher level of education.

Seniors give their insight of the college application process and how to effectively prepare for college. Applying to colleges is a roller coaster, one moment you could be at the top, and the next, at the bottom.

Senior Molly Van Hook had trouble with some of her applications.

“I struggled most with the essays,” Van Hook said. “They take forever and the questions are really difficult.”

But after a long application process, Van Hook knows what juniors should look to expect.

“Most of the application is just questions, but you have to suffer through the essay, so the easiest thing to do is to try not to avoid it. Get it done so you don’t have to stress about it,” Hook said.

Many seniors gained knowledge from applying to colleges that they can use in the future for applying to jobs.

Senior Caitlyn Roy wishes she had more information before applying to colleges.

“I wish I knew to start the common application earlier than you think you need to. Fill out the personal information over the summer, so you have plenty of time to write your essays,” Roy said. “Applying early action also gives you a lot more time to make a decision.”

Roy shared her thoughts on picking which school to apply to.

“I know people that applied to only one college, and people that applied to 12 or more. There’s no single answer that works for everyone, but most people I talked to applied to 4-6 colleges,” Roy said.

Advice from a graduating senior might be the confidence boost juniors need when entering the application process.

Even the smallest of tips on applying to college will help the future students advancing, senior Phillipe Desamours has advice for upcoming seniors.

“Honestly, you need to apply to every college possible, it will help keep you less stressed,” Desamours said. “Don’t be afraid to apply to schools that you think you won’t get in to, you might be surprised with the outcome of that leap of confidence.”

Applying to college takes up a lot of time, but Desamours has tips for minimizing the amount of time spent on applications.

“Applying to college may be fun, but don’t get too caught up, the most important part of being a senior is enjoying your last year here,” Desamours said.

As rising seniors move forward in their high school careers and begin applying for higher education opportunities, graduating seniors’ advice and experience will help guide them through the process. To the graduates, the Cougar Community wishes you the best of luck