~ March Issue ~
 

Preparing for College
By Emma Smith, Staff Writer

           The subject that occupies the minds of most juniors and seniors is college. The thought of getting into the college of their choice is the reason for many of their actions. The idea of getting into a dream college motivates many students during their later high school years.  Whether their actions include striving for a better class grade or not sleeping due to SAT stress, almost every high school student will be guilty of self-induced stress at some point. They begin to buckle down and either study or beg their teachers for better grades. They begin to do volunteer work and look desperately for activities that would look good on their college applications.  The personal goal of college freedom fuels many.  However, do these actions actually help with college admissions?
            Before thinking about college requirements, a student must fulfill all high school requirements. El Segundo High bases many of its graduation requirements on the minimum requirements to get into a UC school. The good news is that a student will meet the UC requirements; the bad news is that this doesn’t leave much room for anything else. The UC applications obviously ask for grades and courses from freshman year through senior year. However, many are surprised to note that there is also a small section on grades from 7^th and 8^th grade math and foreign language courses.
            Depending on a student’s schedule, meeting the requirements may be more than slightly difficult. This is often a problem faced by promising athletes and students with many extra curricular activities or specific interests. Senior Brenna Parker says that “I am going to community college.” She is not going to a four-year college because she doesn’t “have the grades or foreign languages.” They did not interest her and she couldn’t carve out the time to take the courses required. There just are not enough hours in the day and not enough classes that fall into multiple categories. The students that stick with their sports or specific activities are generally the ones that are truly dedicated. This helps them in that specific area, but may hurt their chances of fulfilling all their requirements.
            As if the stress of completing necessary courses is not enough, students must also do well on numerous exams. These exams encompass areas including math, essay writing, science, etc. The most common application of this academic yardstick is the SAT. This test is such a major factor in determining college acceptance, that there is actually an official preliminary test. The PSAT is recommended for everyone planning to take the SAT. In fact, some El Segundo High teachers, including Mrs. Linda Brown, encourage high school freshmen to take the practice exam. Mrs. Brown also supports students to begin taking college level courses in their sophomore year. Although this will please college admission counselors, the added strain of a full high school schedule and college classes will unfortunately add stress.
            An all-important part of getting ready for college is filling out applications. Junior Melanie Palmer states that “you hear about all the stress and all the different scholarships and applications for the colleges. You have to fill all that stuff out even if you’re not sure that you’re applying to a certain college. The paperwork just doubles.” This and other related activities consume much of a senior’s free time. Many students are surprised to find that these costly applications ask for information about their activities from as early late middle school and freshman year of high school. Very few students in these grades are seriously considering future colleges and careers. Even less are participating in many activities that will tip the admissions scale in their favor.  These activities extend far beyond the simple honors classes on the school campus. They include a substantial volunteer work and community service. The UC application asks for hours and years worked. Squeezing in time for volunteer work, extra curricular activities, honors classes, educational preparation programs, as well as standard class schedules can be overwhelming. Juniors and seniors should be applauded for their efforts. Even after activities are completed and applications are sent, there is still a dreaded activity. Senior Skye Englund identifies this activity by stating that “the worst part is the waiting. It’s like the colleges are laughing at you and trying to give you a nervous breakdown.”
            The enormous amount of attention and energy that is put into “preparing for college” brings up another issue. People want to have fun and enjoy themselves in high school. Fun does not include worrying about college. However, in order to live a pleasurable lifestyle later on, a person must have a good job. In order to get this job, they must have gone to a respectable college or be very lucky. In order to get into said college, they must have been accepted into one. Apparently, to be accepted, a person must have been worrying about college for a substantial amount of time. This can honestly be named the college paradox which is experienced by high school students across the nation.