I thought senior year was supposed to be enjoyable.

College Confidential Community
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<p>I am under so much pressure to get into a good college. Is this the same for anyone else or is it just me? My parents have been bugging me about college for months, and it's so irritating! </p>

<p>My mother an I argued for months about which colleges I should look at. Finally, I had enough so I threw together a list of 5 colleges. I figured that should get her off my back. The first college I looked at was OK. I consider it a safety school but my mom adores it. I told her that it wasn't my top choice and that led to another huge argument and a silent ride home. </p>

<p>College #2 was much better than the first one. I really enjoyed it and I though my parents did too. Again, I was dead wrong. During the ride home, I asked them how they liked the school. They told me it was fine but they weren't going to let me apply there because it was 'too big.' I thought to myself 'THE WHY DID YOU LET ME EVEN LOOK AT THE SCHOOL IF I WASN'T GOING TO BE ABLE TO APPLY?' Another silent car ride home.</p>

<p>College #3 I hated. The campus was tiny, and was located only 10 minutes from Newark, NJ (VERY high crime rate). The facilities looked very old, on campus housing was not guaranteed, and it seemed, overall, very boring. Of course my parents loved it. When I told them that the school was OK but not right for me, we again got into a HUGE fight and didn't speak for a few days.</p>

<p>I have 2 more colleges that I'm going to visit, and I'm sure the outcome will be similar to the other 3. Well I woke up this morning and, to my surprise, I was signed up for yet another college visit without even being asked. This college at the level of a community college and I DO NOT want to attend it. Even the slackers of my school don't go there. I am by no means a slacker (I'm in the top 10% of my class) and I refuse to settle for this college.</p>

<p>About an hour ago, my parents told me that they want to sign me up for SAT classes on the same night that I ride my town's ambulance. I admit, my scores were a tad low but I still have 3 months to study. Needless to say, they weren't too happy when I said I didn't want the classes.</p>

<p>Is anyone else this stressed or is it just me? (Sorry this message is so long, I just desperately needed to vent to someone.)</p>

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<p>Yeah the movies lied when they said senior year was all fun and games, stress free.</p>

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<p>I know my parents mean well but they don't understand how much stress they're putting on me.</p>

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<p>why would you take SAT classes if you were going to a community college? That doesn't make sense...</p>

<p>Guess you'll just have to hope the other 2 schools left work work for both... if not well... it's your life, not your parents, so screw them if they don't let you live up to your potential. Luckily for me, my parents don't really care where i go as long as I'm happy with it.</p>

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<p>if they're paying for it all then they tell you to go basically wherever they want you to</p>

<p>if you're paying for it, then you can go wherever you want to go</p>

<p>don't complain if they're going to be paying for it all</p>

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<p>Senior year was a breeze. No stress, AP classes, financial worries. Then again this is probably why I'm busting my ass at community college now.</p>

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<p>Perhaps you should look up schools that you both like before you visit? List the qualities that you're looking for in a college; let your parents do the same. Then compare and discuss any inherent discrepancies. I'm sure you can come to some kind of consensus.</p>

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<p>During senior year, I was so stressed about college applications from September up until April. From then until graduation, things were slow-paced and mellow. It really isn't that chill until you're done. If you want to alleviate that stress, I suggest you apply EA or ED.</p>

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<p>True that technol21:
Senior year is going to suck. :)</p>

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<p>Don't expect all of your hopes and dreams to come true senior year. But it sure is the time for special things to happen. My senior year was definitely full of college application stress, but I didn't let that affect me outside of the time I dedicated to that paperwork and interview stuff. I really thought senior year was great and fun!</p>

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<p>Senior was the easiest year of my life. Absolutely no work. Thank You Early Decision.</p>

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<p>Looking back, senior year was hell for me. I did IB so after being preoccupied with college applications first semester, I had to worry about writing my extended essay and preparing for exams the next semester. I should've done AP.</p>

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<p>Senior year slacking is if you're NOT going to college. If you are going, you still have to work. THEN, you get a freshmen year burnout (lazy Summer AND Fall of freshmen year). That's what happened to me.</p>

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<p>Senior year was definitely my most intense year academically, but I was lucky enough not to have that stress from my parents (possibly partly due to the fact that they're immigrants and are quite unacquainted with everything). I'm sorry that it's so rough for you. I agree completely with olgita's suggestion: surely you and your parents can discuss what criteria each of you want in a college.</p>

<p>And you do have a right to complain even if your parents are paying for it :) They love you and they surely want you to be happy, and both parties should each other know what would make them happy.</p>

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<p>Senior year list of things to do, in chronological order:
1) Bust my a** trying to get my essays/apps done while applying for scholarships while trying to get through 2nd-year college Calc while running my clubs while attempting to keep some sort of fitness while trying to remain connected to the world outside college applications.
2) Apply ED to my dream and EA to my never-gonna-happen dream + my state schools.
3) Sweat it out while repeating step 1 for another two months.
4) Check my decisions online in December.</p>

<p>Now here's where it'll get interesting. Either
5a) Scream for joy. Leap around the house. Call whoever I think of first. For the rest of the year, study my a** off in Calc to keep an A but slack off in the rest of my classes a little bit. Drop some of my ECs. Apply for financial aid/scholarships. Go to prom. Plan a road trip with my best friend. Find the meaning of life.
5b) Go into shock. Cry. Try to anesthetize myself with food and probably a zombie movie. Desperately finish and send off other RD applications. Cry some more. Pick myself up by my bootstraps and repeat step 1 until April. </p>

<p>If you remove my particular lack of apptitude for calculus from the equation, I think this is going to be the general schedule of most senior CCers. Isn't this the BEST time of our lives?! ... :/</p>

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<p>haha, guess I have something to look forward to senior year then....:(</p>

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<p>Thanks everyone for your responses. Yep, I guess senior year is going to be hell: 5 ap classes, retaking SATs, college visits, applications...
As for my financial situation, my parents are going to pay half the tuition and I'm going to pay the other half. I know they just want what's best for me, but sometimes it feels like they're applying to college, not me. In a few months, I'll look back and laugh at this...hopefully...</p>

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<p>Collegepirate, now's the time to investigate colleges, unless you want to be stuck with that list of 5 permanently. If you post your stats and ECs here, with what you would like for a campus and what you think your major might be, a lot of people on here can advise you on colleges to consider. If I were you, I would give that a shot. At the very least, it will clarify your thinking. You don't have too many colleges right now that you both agree on, do you?</p>

<p>My d was like you. Oblivious, although starting to think she better look around, then had to go off on her month-long summer trip with dad before she could put that plan into action. Just before she left, though, I did make sure she saw about 5 different colleges just to get ideas.</p>

<p>So I did a college list for her. I have a few weeks off, and I got on here, looked around, got ideas, then investigated colleges. </p>

<p>I will present her with my list of about 8 when she returns. Hopefully, she will pay attention right away, but more likely she won't. I'm betting she uses it to turn in to her guidance counselor, though, who wants a list of colleges from all students upon return to school this fall. I did a good job, if you ask me. Took what little she told me she wanted into consideration, for the most part. Finances do matter. She won't get any financial aid, and I refuse to allow her to go into debt. My list is made up of colleges that are all fall-back plans if #1 college doesn't work out for some reason. (that's my #1, but I think it will be hers, too--she saw the college and it was 'ok', which is high praise from her).</p>

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<p>Guys, did you seriously learn nothing from the three years of HS you've already completed? I'm not talking about study skills. I'm talking about slacking, fudging, scanning, and bs-ing skills. With this arsenal under my belt, I've been able to have more fun this year than in all my other years of HS while having more APs and multivariable calc. Really - it's going to be okay! Relax. I know it all looks big and menacing to you at this point, but once you actually dive into the year, it will pass by at the speed of light. And the application stress is only as serious as you make it. The only thing you can control at this point is the essay, and trust me - it won't take 200 hours. It might take you one or two, or ten, depending on your luck and writing talent. But you will get it down, and you will fill out the common app (takes 2 hours at most, if you're disorganized with your awards/clubs like I am), and you will fill out the supplements (I only had to write 3 extra essays for 10 supplements), and suddenly the entire process will be behind you. The wait is not as excruciating as you think. The time will still pass at the same rate it always does. Whether there will be immesurable happiness or bottomless sorrow at the end of the wait is also up to you...don't set your expectations high and you won't be disappointed no matter what.</p>

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<p>Sorry, I just realized how much of a ramble that was :D</p>