While Senior Year is often perceived as the best year of high school, that premise does not apply to October. Although improved by Halloween and the crisp fall weather, the last two weeks of the month only insinuate stress for Seniors. With the majority of Early Action and Early Decision deadlines for colleges occurring on November 1, the end of October is incredibly challenging for students.
At this time, Seniors are not only working on many applications, but also keeping up with new leadership positions and classwork in academically rigorous classes. While the PDS College Counseling team is well aware of this stress and aims to create a relaxed atmosphere in the application lounge, I believe it would make sense for PDS to offer additional support. For example, college counselor Ms. Waite believes that “teachers should decrease schoolwork around that time, and if students have the opportunity to meet with counselors they should do that.” Although normal school activities must go on, this is a critical time for seniors to finalize their first round of applications, which are often their most important. Creating more time to meet with the counselors would be very helpful.
Similarly, senior Maddy Cook thinks “PDS should help by providing more breaks during October.” Ms. Waite suggests a “Reading Day,” which usually takes place in college before finals and is a day of free time for students to catch up on work. This could potentially be an innovative solution because during Reading Day, seniors would be able to fully direct their attention on their applications and ensure their readiness.
Although PDS may be worried about giving these breaks again in January, Ms. Waite believes that the end of October is actually more difficult as essays can be reused in January. Therefore, PDS can make October easier without having to alleviate further work throughout the rest of the application cycle. I believe PDS should do its best to alleviate the immense pressure and work seniors face in October by incorporating a Reading Day and easing up on assignments and exams. This will result in a more positive experience for the seniors throughout the application season.
