By Cassie Honeycutt, Editor-in-Chief 

The coronavirus has done it again. Disrupted our daily lives by taking away the experiences we all thought we were promised.

Senior year may be stressful, but it is equally as exciting. You are finishing your last year of high school, but also completing all the tasks that prepare you for life after graduation. 

Since I was a little girl, my plan has always been to go to college. Now as a senior, I am navigating life through online classes, establishing my resume without being able to participate in my extracurriculars and submitting up-to-par standardized test scores – all while deciding where I want to go to school without an in-person campus visit.

Thank goodness for the counselors, teachers and school officials giving some direction on where to begin and what to do; otherwise, my parents and I would have been even more lost and extremely overwhelmed with this next big step in my life. But at the same time, I am not getting that one-on-one help with a teacher, and I am doing everything by myself or with my parents. 

This only adds stress to the situation because teachers and counselors know what schools are looking for. They know what our college essays should look like and the extra touch our applications need. 

However, coronavirus has caused alterations to the application process. 

Normally when you apply to certain colleges, you know what they want to see. This year’s colleges are having to completely revamp their standards for accepting a student, so incoming freshmen are their first look at students who have been affected by COVID-19. 

I am grateful that most colleges are no longer requiring SAT and ACT tests for admission. Yet, that puts the pressure on essays and short answers, rigor and grades, and extracurriculars. But those three things have to make you stand out from the other students who want that same exact spot at the school you are applying to. 

Some kids bank on their outstanding ACT or SAT score to get them in, and others use the essay portion to sell themselves to the school of their choice. Right now, since no one knows what the colleges are going to be looking for, this may be good for the future freshmen. 

Applying to college is terrifying. Your life’s achievements, dedication to extracurriculars and outstanding grades are basically the ticket into getting accepted into the school of your dreams. 

You have to look impressive on paper – and I don’t know about you, but I don’t even feel close to that. My application could be competing against my friends, who I know deserve the spot as much as I do, and it is terrifying. How am I supposed to convey to a bunch of strangers that I am a well-rounded person perfect for their school? 

Seniors have already been thrown for a loop this year. The year we needed to tie up the end of our extracurriculars and gather a few more experiences for our essays to give us the little nudge over the top – and instead, we are backtracking to come up with a new game plan before fast-approaching deadlines. So if you know a senior or see a senior, tell them they can do it and give them that little bit of encouragement they need to feel like everything is going to be OK.

Senior Cassie Honeycutt can be contacted at [email protected].