By Jace Lee
University of Pennsylvania
May 31, 2025
Why is senior year so stressful?
I found that senior year’s stressors stem from the college application season. As seniors, we have to make our college lists, fill out our college applications, write our essays and much more. On top of that, it can be easy to feel like our entire future is on the line because of the magnitude of the situation. All of these things can be very difficult independently and require lots of time and effort. However, many things have to be done simultaneously, so it can be hard to keep track of deadlines and make progress on work against procrastination.
What are your top 3 tips for enjoying senior year of high school during this process?
- Talk to trusted advisors. Whether it be parents, your Matriculate Advising Fellow (AF), or teachers, talking to adults or people who have been through the process can give some additional perspective. Additionally, they can provide a support system for you to go through this time. In my experience, I felt a lot better about college applications when I knew my parents’ expectations for me and I talked to my Matriculate AF about our strategy for getting into college.
- Be with friends. You can do a lot of things with friends. I hung out with my friends a lot and it was a nice reprieve from college admissions. But I also wrote college applications with my friends on multiple occasions. That’s why the wording of the advice is to “be” with friends. You don’t always need to be chasing down a new adventure, sometimes it’s enough to just be on the college application grind with each other. I’ve found that writing applications with friends keeps me grounded because sharing jokes and struggles reminded me that I wasn’t alone.
- Take guilt-free breaks. College applications can loom over you for months. I know it did for me. The thought of my unwritten essays would constantly haunt me in the back of my head. However, it’s okay to have periods of time where you don’t write essays. Maybe it’s because of a big test or some school conference. Whatever the case, life happens, and it’s okay not to always think about college applications.
What do you wish you knew about senior year before starting it?
I wish I knew how fast senior year would go by. Due to all of the applications and life events it felt like the fastest time of my life. I wish I had the time to stop and enjoy it without the overhead dread of college admissions affecting my conscience. On the other side of the same coin, when I was writing my college essays, I convinced myself I had a lot of time until one day I didn’t. Everyone tells you not to procrastinate, and of course, they’re right, but I just couldn’t help it. College essays seemed so paralyzing for some reason, and I couldn’t get myself to write any of them. One thing that really helped me was to have a college essay organizer and separate all of the essay questions on various Google Docs instead of having them all on the same one. For some reason seeing just a couple of questions instead of dozens made me less overwhelmed with everything. I got them all done but it didn’t have to be such a grind.
How did Matriculate help?
As a High School Fellow (HSF), my Matriculate Advising Fellow (AF) helped me a lot. I learned a lot about the college application process really quickly, things like what Admissions Officers value, how reading applications works, and the timeline of everything. Additionally, my AF provided help writing college essays and helped me figure out my admissions story, as well as pinpoint crucial life events to talk about in my supplemental essays. He was also just someone to talk to when I got stressed and really kept me on track to submit my applications. Ultimately, having an AF helped me figure out the college admissions process and my admissions strategy really quickly, which gave me more time to flesh out all the details of my applications.
Anything else?
I hope that this blog helps you find your own ways to destress and handle the Goliath that is college admissions. Hopefully, Matriculate can be a part of your journey and help you like it helped me. It gets overwhelming but you’ll make it out. I believe in you! Good luck on your college admissions journey!
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MEET THE AUTHOR
Jace Lee
Jace Lee is a senior at Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, Georgia. Born and raised in the K-town of Metro Atlanta, he’s deeply aware of and involved in cultural Korean affairs. At school he serves as the president of the school’s Technology Student Association Club, leading competitions and driving new initiatives. Going into college, he wants to study chemistry and one day become a pharmaceutical scientist or a chemical patent lawyer. Aside from professional interests, Jace is also dedicated to helping his peers navigate struggles and college admissions because he too once got the help to be where he is today.