I was not the senior typing furiously on my essay that could not even take a 2-minute break because the deadline for my college application was due that night. That phenomenon of procrastination affects the majority of high-school seniors when starting their application process, but for the first time, I listened to the advice of my peers and began early.
Not procrastinating is a message that teachers try to imprint in their students’ heads every year, yet this is the one “assingnment” where students should heed their advice. All high-school students should start the application process as soon as possible. I think that without the constant nagging from my parents I would still be filling out applications like a zombie. Now in my last year of high-school I can honestly say that it is beneficial for students to start all their assignments early. I’m thankful I didn’t procrastinate because finishing college applications early was definitely a smarter decision than waiting till the last minute.
First of all, essays take up the majority of time. Students shouldn’t type out their first draft of an essay and expect it to receive a good grade. Since I got my essays done early, I wasn’t scrambling to create essays just days before the college deadlines arrived. High-school students should learn just how valuable it is to start working on essays long before they are due. By starting early, the essay that is being written can be expanded and evolved into an excellent piece of literature instead of a half-baked essay. This also eliminates the stress that comes with writing an essay when it is due the next day.
Another reason I’m glad I completed my college applications early is that the immense weight of pressure was taken off my shoulders. Doing schoolwork and college apps at the same time is quite a difficult task. This feeling of pressure is felt by almost every senior applying to colleges, but it can be taken away instantly if one finishes their applications early. If students finished their schoolwork early they would also have much more time to dedicate to their social lives and extra-curricular activities. I know that I had a lot of trouble balancing school related work and my outside activities.
On the other hand, some students excel under pressure. A couple of my friends have told me that they haven’t finished their college apps yet because they apply themselves better when they are “under the gun”. Also the fact that these students have more time to think about what schools they want to apply to may give them a sense of security. However, in my experience being done early and being able to stop worrying about applications in early December is better than waiting till the last minute to apply.
Now that I’ve finished my applications I can kick my feet up and enjoy my last year of high school, except I can’t get senioritis just yet because I still have lots of school work to do. As some of my fellow seniors are still filling out applications and writing essays, they can imagine me sitting next to the fireplace indulging in a good book and eating holiday-themed cookies. My winter vacation should be fairly stress free and I’ll be the happiest kid on Christmas day as I play with my shiny new presents, while other seniors may still be scribbling down answers in their applications. Senior year should be cherished, not hated by everybody that didn’t finish their applications early.
Contact Yianni Gougoumis at ygougoumis@tphnews.com
