Photo by Michael Marsh via Unsplash

It is no secret that the college admissions process is a long and arduous one. The system is, quite frankly, outdated. The reality is that the college admissions process needs to be altered to maintain enrollment rates.

Those who are lucky only apply to college once. I have unfortunately had a great deal of experience with this process; I went through the application process three times. My first experience was as a high school senior applying to enter as a freshman. My other two applications were to enter as a transfer student. I was fortunate enough to have attended a private institution for high school, but when April of my senior year came around I felt helpless. I had no idea where I wanted to go, or what I wanted to do, which later resulted in me transferring from Bucknell University to Hofstra.

There is a remarkable amount of pressure put on students leading up to their senior year to choose the “right” college. Although standardized testing is now optional for many institutions, the college admissions process is said to be even more cutthroat. The extraordinary amount of pressure imposed on

students is the reason why colleges around the United States have seen a decrease in enrollment by nearly 4.7% from the Fall of 2021 to the Spring of 2022, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Students are looking for alternatives to higher education.

It’s easy to pick a school your senior year of high school, but attending is completely different. Getting into college has always been competitive, but with social media, committing to college is more of a social status symbol than ever before. The stress of club involvement, whether to take standardized tests, enrollment in high level AP classes and the desire to still have a social life can make prepping for college less exciting and more of a burden. So what is the best course of action for high school seniors?

Abby Bruno, a junior finance major at Fairfield University, says that her extracurriculars and good grades were key components to her acceptance to many colleges. Bruno says that to set herself apart from others, she “created a mental health club, and was captain of the dance team.” In addition to these leadership roles in school, she worked as a babysitter in her free time.

Similarly, Beau Dragone, junior public relations major at Hofstra, feels that his leadership positions in his extracurriculars displayed to colleges that he was able to work toward his goal of “moving up the ranks.” In his eyes, his dedication to school activities, combined with his stellar grades, is what set him apart from other applicants.

Jessie Greer, junior biochemistry major at University of Miami had a different approach to creating her student profile. Greer said that “being honest and relatable goes a long way.” She says that it is crucial to “show off your personality.”

Meghan Casey, who is a junior nursing major at the University of South Carolina, says that she too feels that “being yourself” is the key to the college admissions process. In Casey’s eyes it is crucial to “let colleges get to see who you are beyond your grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities.”

Getting involved in student life was important to Casey’s adjustment to college; she says that during your freshman year, you should try to “say yes to every opportunity possible.” College is one of the only times that you will be surrounded by people with a “common goal” she explains.

There is no doubt that hard work is an important part of getting accepted and being successful in college. The statistics, on the other hand, show that if we don’t relieve some of the stress that society imposes on students during their high school years, we are turning them away from a valuable educational experience.

The college students I spoke with all noted the difficulty that they faced during the admissions process. It is important to showcase students’ accomplishments and promote hard working members of society, yet there is so much more to students than their achievements. Hofstra especially should simplify the process as much as we can to continue welcoming new students. The institution should consider waiving application fees and develop more personal connections with applicants to showcase that Hofstra is the right fit for the student, not the other way around.