November has arrived, and most Seniors have now crossed off another rite of passage from their proverbial lists: they’ve hit “submit” and applied to one or more colleges by this “early” deadline.
They still have to wait a few weeks (or months) to hear back, and likely they have other applications to complete before the year is over. But letting go of that first carefully crafted college application is a big deal.
Here in Colorado Academy’s College Office, we’ve been rallying Seniors with lots of support (and some sugary treats) to get them across the threshold of looming November 1 deadlines. Beyond our summer boot camps and essay workshops, this year we held “Get It Done” sessions during Senior College Preparation Days, a five-day window set aside for Seniors to travel (if they wish), research, and work on the many essays and moving parts of their college applications.
Seniors in the Class of 2022 really wanted to “Get It Done”! They crowded into desks and cozied up in rows on the floor, zoned in on their laptops, and typed away as if writer’s block were a distant memory.
What I cherished most about “Get It Done” was the group dynamic that emerged. Together, we all agreed to leave our “best friends/lovies” (aka phones) on a nearby counter to avoid distraction.
The groups also respected different needs of students in the space and carved out silent work periods mixed with windows of chatter and eating. Our counseling team offered edits and encouragement throughout. Applying to college can feel like a solitary endeavor that requires a lot of introspection, some chunks of time simply staring at walls, and quite a bit of revision. But as one, the Class of 2022 conquered the day.
To mark the end of Get It Done, I cranked up the volume on my laptop and played those familiar intro piano scales from Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive!” Students laughed, and a sigh of relief swept the room. Indeed, Seniors, you will survive!