Running Around Like a Headless Chicken (aka College Applications)

Thea Parsons ’25

Writing this article, I stand at the other side of the long, winding road of college applications. 

For months I anticipated submitting my last one, waiting with bated breath for the conclusion of hours upon hours of Sisyphean work. But, to my dismay, the act of sending my final application into the inbox of an expectant admissions officer didn’t result in a long exhale. My pent up exhaustion didn’t fade. My brow, which had long been furrowed with stress, didn’t smooth. Rather than relief, I was confronted with an unshakeable feeling of failure, dwelling on everything I had done wrong. 

Nobody is perfect. My college application season was pockmarked with 11:58 submissions for 11:59 deadlines, last-minute essay writing, and the sinking feeling that throughout high school, I hadn’t done enough. I was bound to make mistakes simply because I was a 17 year old confronted with a herculean task. To err is human and, despite what you may think, humanity is a necessary part of every college application. That being said, the article below includes some tips that, had I known of them, would have made the process easier and, I can imagine, my mistakes less abundant.

But first, a quick disclaimer. While reading this, please remember that I am 17 years old and have only applied to college once. I am not the authority on college admissions. 

Despite this, I think it's important to hear students’ perspectives. For those Bard students who have not yet begun this arduous process: you go to school with about 125 people who’ve recently applied to college. If you think it’s helpful, ask them questions! I guarantee that many of us are more than happy to answer them (I definitely am). But, if other people’s opinions stress you out, block out the noise. What’s important is that you do what’s best for you. So, without further ado…

#1: Before Applying – Build Habits. Or Else.

This is a simple one, but it’s arguably the most significant on this list. When I was applying to college, my CTO advisor, family, and friends all emphasized the importance of healthy habits. At the time, I was astounded that they expected me to have the brain space to, on top of school and college applications, maintain a balanced sleep schedule. Upon reflection, I realize that I should’ve listened. The entire application process would've been that much easier if I had been taking care of myself. There is nothing worse than burning out. 

The most important prerequisite to maintaining healthy habits as you apply to college is building them ahead of time. You know yourself better than anyone. If you procrastinate until the last minute, practice doing things before the deadline. If you know you don’t take feedback well from your parents, build a relationship with someone at school who’s willing to read your work for you. Whatever it is, start establishing positive habits now, because it's virtually impossible to do when you’re already under pressure. 

The best piece of advice anyone can give you is to start your applications early. While there’s no need to start preparing for college applications in ninth or tenth grade, I’d argue that the second semester of Junior year is the sweet spot for starting the process. Other than the sublime benefit of reducing stress, I swear by this for one reason: it doesn’t matter how much of a humanities whiz you are, your writing gets better over time. An essay that you spend months deliberating over will be better than anything you can whip up in a day.

Though it may seem intimidating to start your applications, it doesn’t have to be. The most important thing is to set aside enough time to complete the writing to the best of your ability. When you get to the beginning of your Senior year, almost everything college’s are evaluating you based on is in the past. Supplements are one of the only aspects of your application that you’ll still have control over, so make the most of it. 

Take the first steps now, no matter how insignificant they may seem, to ensure that you have enough time and energy to work extensively on your application. No matter how productive you are, this process will take an immense amount of time, blood, sweat, and tears. Account for that!

#2: Applications – The Notorious College Essays

Part 1: But What Are They Really Asking?

There are millions of opinions scattered across the internet about what makes a good college supplement. Websites, blogs, and hundreds of Reddit threads have been dedicated to creating the perfect formulas that will definitely get you into your dream school. The truth is, there is nothing you can write that will guarantee you admission.

My philosophy on the infamous college supplements comes from a talk delivered by a UChicago admissions officer. She identified two sides to every well written supplement–one answers the question “why is our school right for you,” the other “why are you right for our school.” 

It seems intuitive that colleges and universities strive to recruit students who will benefit them socially and academically, strengthening all facets of their communities. It’s perhaps less obvious that another key part of assessing students for admission is reading their applications to ensure the school has the resources to support the student emotionally, socially, and academically.

Attending the UChicago talk was intimidating. Switching quickly from cheerfully upbeat to deadly serious, the woman presenting went from singing praise to proclaiming, with brutal honesty, that most students would likely be miserable at a school as rigorous as the University of Chicago. This proclamation, while harsh, aided me in my application process. It was important for me to remind myself to choose schools that I liked beyond their academic prestige. The college you attend isn’t only going to be the place you learn for the next four years, but the place you live. 

There are several reasons why it may be your downfall to write exactly what a school wants to hear. The first, and perhaps the most obvious, is that it’s easy to tell when you’re parroting the website. For every supplement that asks the frustrating question “why us,” it’s important to connect each aspect of the school that you mention back to yourself. The second, which is the most important for this article, is that if you’re telling a school exactly what you think it wants to hear, there’s no way for it to honestly evaluate if you’re a match. While it may feel like getting into a series of renowned institutions is the most important thing about applying to college, I pinky promise that it's better for you to be happy. 

It’s important to note that getting rejected from a top school doesn’t mean that its admissions officers don’t think you’re capable enough to attend. It means that they don’t think their particular school would be a good fit for you–not based on your intelligence level but based on who you are. Or, it means that, as much as they love you, they’ve already accepted their allotted number of, say, Chemistry majors, and they’re striving for a more diverse student body. 

So, when writing essays, write about who you are and why you want to go to a school, not who you think you should be to get in and what you think the school wants to hear about itself. As many college counselors have said, these schools know what they have to offer, and they know why they’re awesome. They don’t need to hear it again. Instead, they want to understand what excites you about their offerings–how you’ll take advantage of them and why they’re the perfect fit for you.

Part 2: If It’s You, You Can Write About The Man Or The Muppet

The thing is, writing about who you are is easier said than done. Many people have different ideas about what it means, how far you should go, and what might be off limits. In my opinion, you can say almost anything in these essays, as long as it reveals something about you. In short, “if it’s you, you can write about the man or the muppet.” 

Colleges know you aren’t a machine. They know you have feelings and experiences that have shaped you, and they don’t expect you to be sitting at your desk all day curing cancer and writing Pulitzer Prize winning books (even if it feels that way). Admissions officers are looking to see that, throughout your life, you have developed skills like creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking–traits that will help you become a successful, conscientious individual. The best way to demonstrate these attributes is to show how they’ve developed. 

While “show don’t tell” is a frequently marketed essay writing strategy, people don’t usually explain the technique beyond those three ominous words. Sure, you could write an amazing essay about how one difficult calculus problem showed you the power of trial and error, the importance of persistence, and your ability to bounce back from mistakes. There are many ways you could spin that tale into a fantastic essay, but it is by no means the only way to write about these three valuable lessons. Maybe you applied your persistence to solving a calculus problem, but where that persistence came from was one summer when you couldn’t hula hoop to save your life, so you practiced for months until you perfected it. Both of these essays work well to answer a prompt about a lesson you learned or a time you failed, but it’s important to write the one that feels the most acutely you. 

When Brown asks “what brings you joy?” you don’t have to respond “math,” unless the process of slowly working towards a logical solution is what actually makes you happy. In fact, when answering this particular prompt I wrote about my cowboy boots. I know people who’ve written essays that proclaimed the soundtrack of their life to be Charli XCX’s “Girl, so confusing,” pitted Boston and New York City against each other as bitter rivals, and compared an open curriculum to the perfect everything bagel.

Composing a combination of serious reflections and silly, quippy responses makes for a strong application, demonstrating that, as much as you’re serious and scholarly, you’re also a real person who can recognize the importance of learning in unconventional ways. 

#3: Decisions – The Cupcake Method

If there’s anything in this article that I swear by, it’s the cupcake method. I will die on this sugary, frosted hill. This method is to be implemented as follows: every time a big decision comes up, go out and buy a cupcake, placing it on your desk before you open your letter. 

College application season comes with an abundance of lessons learned, but the most important is (arguably) rejection. As I said before, part of a “good” college application is revealing your humanity. Schools want to get a glimpse of the person behind the screen–who you are with your friends and family, how you apply lessons you’ve learned outside of school, your foundational character traits, etc. Part of what makes us human, a part that is particularly appealing to admissions officers, is our ability to fail successfully. For some of us, a rejection from our dream school might be the first time we’ve had to deal with a big, resounding “no.” Even if this is the case, we all have to bounce back.

No matter how many videos you’ve watched of people getting into every T20 school they applied to, this is the exception. Most people get rejected from at least one school, but likely many more. The cupcake method is meant to help you deal with these rejections.

Whether your letter presents you with an acceptance, rejection, deferral, or waitlist, take some time to eat the cupcake you’ve just bought. Find a place where you’re comfortable, either alone or surrounded by family and friends, and center yourself. If you’ve been accepted, congratulations! Use your cupcake to celebrate. If not, the sweet treat in your hand is a reminder that the world has not imploded and armageddon has not come, even if it feels that way. In short…rejection feels better with a cupcake. 

People have said it a million different ways, most of which tend to be irksome. “Rejection is redirection.” “Learn from your mistakes.” “It’s about the journey, not the reward.” Hearing these peppy mantras, it often feels like people are kicking you while you’re down. A big believer that nothing happens for a reason, at least not in a concrete way, I disagree with the sentiment behind these statements. Maybe Toby, who was dating the admissions officer at Harvard, just broke up with her. Maybe she was crying too hard to read your well qualified, well composed application. Maybe you wrote your essay about how much you hate broccoli, and Yale had already recruited too many people to its BHC (Broccoli Hating Club) during the ED application round. My point is, it’s not always for a reason, and it’s okay to sit with the fact that, at least on the surface, rejection isn’t always a flashy neon sign pointing you in the right direction. In fact, most of the time it just sucks, to put it simply.

Let yourself feel the sting of rejection, but then pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back out there.