By Cierra Lannon
Special to the Salisbury Post

High school seniors everywhere are checking their e-mail and home mailboxes with anticipation daily, waiting to see if the “school of their dreams” just might happen to want them back. Personally, I get a little choked up when I even overhear the word “deferral.” Why is the process to get into a college or university so stressful?

When my mother was applying to college, she didn’t have to spend hours upon hours writing, proofreading, editing and double-checking college essays. She didn’t have to participate in five-plus clubs or extracurricular activities to be considered for an application. She didn’t need to load up her senior year schedule with all Advanced Placement or Honors classes. Thirty years later, if one would not do any of the things previously mentioned, the chances of attending a prestigious university like she did become slim to none.

I understand that jobs aren’t extremely abundant and many job fields are becoming swamped with people more and more qualified every day. I know that professions such as doctor or lawyer are selective and require years of education because of how esteemed they are. Something I don’t understand is why it’s expected of 17- and 18-year-olds to stress themselves out to the point of a breakdown just because they want to potentially enter the job force in the future.

As a high school senior, I have thoroughly experienced the stress and anxiety of college applications. I submitted all of my applications by the early-decision deadlines, the majority being in early October. I can’t express how frequently I was asked, “How did you do this? Did you put your weighted or un-weighted GPA? Can you proofread my essay?” And most importantly told, “I don’t even know why I’m trying, I’m not going to get in.”

A drastic amount of pressure is forced onto seniors applying to college. Expectations of attending a parent’s alma mater or the most prestigious university in your state falls upon students’ shoulders.

Trying to further your education to excel in a career you want to pursue shouldn’t be this exasperating. But, because I can’t change the fact that I’ll be anxious for a while, I’ll continue checking both of my mailboxes until I hopefully get my acceptance letters.