Is Worrying About College in Sophomore and Freshman Year Worth It?
This year, many of Notre Dame’s seniors are in the process of getting college decision letters back and deciding where they want to be for the next several years. While this can be exciting, the years building up to this experience may have been more complicated for some students compared to others. From working hard for grades to revising failed assignments, it seems like everybody is pushing themselves to get high grades, make good impressions on colleges, and get into their dream schools.
When students enter high school, many of them strive for good grades because they’ll gain more options and opportunities for college choices. When students were asked about what stressed them out the most about college, Lan-Anh Nguyen ‘26 said, “I'm worried about not getting accepted to my dream schools.” Many other Notre Dame students shared the same sentiment as well. For the freshman, sophomores and juniors have a bit of advice for you about college standardized testing, like the SAT: one student said, “Try not to stress too much over it, but make sure you’re not completely unprepared either. Studying will help you gain the upper hand, but stressing over a practice test will not help you.” The best advice that seniors have for the younger students is to start early and not procrastinate, start prepping for college applications over the summer and during the school season, and take classes you really are interested in instead of classes that might look good to colleges.
The beginning of high school should be about figuring out what you want to pursue and what your interests are. High school is a chance to start fresh and try things you’ve never tried before. Keeping college in the back of your mind and using it as a way to push for opportunities is a good habit, but worrying about application processes, SATs, and other senior projects usually isn’t a valuable use of your time. Enjoy the beginnings of high school before you have to pressure yourself. While high school is often meant to prepare students for college, it is still a four-year experience to enjoy.
