Every college student had to go through the college application process in the United States. The college application process are the steps that every student should take to follow a higher education after high school. It includes a college essay, meeting with a college counselor, tour of the campus, choosing a college and many more things. Students who want to go to college have to do the application during their senior year and they are usually helped by a college counselor in their school. I interviewed seniors, college students and counselors from Liberty High School, and I found out that the process is very complex.
A senior student at Liberty High School Academy for Newcomers, Osvaldo Perez, when asked how he feels about the process remarks, “I feel like it is going very well, I am full of confidence about what I’m doing with Ms. Epstein. And hopefully, I’m gonna go to the college that I want.” After having questioned him about feeling stressed about the process, he said, “Probably the audition to enter Brooklyn College’s Theater program, which I’m still figuring out how to do, but it’s not like a big stress yet.”
A college student who graduated from Liberty High School last year, Salimata Diakite said that she struggled with one part of her application. “The struggles I faced when I was doing my college application was my financial aid application. I had a lot of trouble with my financial aid since my parents were not in the U.S. They were asking for a lot about their income information, and I wasn’t able to give that information to them and it was hard to get another alternative.” When asked about her criteria, she said, “My criteria for my college when I choose it was a big campus college, near home, a college with a lot of opportunities and programs that will allow me to have a big perspective on what I can do.”
Another perspective is from a college counselor at Liberty High School, Ms. Epstein. She shares her experience about the timing. “What takes the most amount of time is the college essay, and this is because students need time to really be inspired and think about what they want to write. It’s also longer because it’s a very structured essay and that takes a lot to be able to revise it, to make it clear and that can take up to two or three weeks.” She also talked about her organization because we all know that it is a lot of work. “Sometimes I really feel like I don’t know how to organize and it’s a lot, but I plan out my month by month and in September I need to meet with the students, organize the students and I give myself milestones, meaning, like by mid-October, I had to have met with so many students and had so many students start their applications. By November, so many students have to finish their essays and applications.”
As we can see from all three perspectives, the college application process at Liberty High School and throughout the entire country is very complex. However, I am really confident that students can go through it successfully with the help of Ms. Epstein.
