<p>obviously, i have yet to lay my eyes on any of the college apps (i'm a jr), but i saw my bros old common app from like 2006, and it didn't look too bad. just a couple of pages you had to answer some questions. i see people here and my school stressing about college apps and i wonder what makes people dread them? other than the essay most of it seems like it doesn't take tooooo much effort. is it the number you have to fill out? is it the financial aid? is it the organization? i just wanna know what i'm getting myself into next year.</p>
<p>I think it's more knowing the weight they carry than the actual apps.</p>
<p>As you're filling them out, you realize that one little form can control the next 4 (maybe more) years of your life. Now THAT is scary. But as I was filling mine out, it wasn't bad (especially since I applied to all CSUs, which don't require essays ^_^).</p>
<p>Agonizing over essays. I rather type my first name 2,000 times.</p>
<p>I'm with greensticky.</p>
<p>Self-reflection is painful.</p>
<p>its timeconsuming</p>
<p>For me, it was knowing that whether I attended my dream school or not would be decided by a bunch of strangers who would only judge me by my application.</p>
<p>Oh yes, and there was the essay. On some levels, it was like essays I had to write in eighth grade with prompts like, "What was the biggest risk you've ever taken?" And no matter how cheesy the topic was, there was no question that the essay carried substantial weight.</p>
<p>I'm actually kinda looking forward to writing the essays. Self-reflection for me is kinda fun for me and I like to write. I'm introspective. And filling out forms is no big deal.</p>
<p>Procrastination. Then frantically writing application essays an hour before the deadline.</p>
<p>Uhmm...what's that one word...
REJECTION</p>
<p>^ Ditto. And writing essays. The actual essay-writing part isn't that difficult, but coming up with topics is.</p>
<p>^^ double ditto
its writing the essays that takes up the time. filling in the info takes like 5 mins but writing essays/personal statements that r original, unique, and can easily grab and hook the attention of those who read them is difficult
next year you'll understand y</p>
<p>I agree with #9.</p>
<p>No one wants to be rejected. It's a horrible feeling.</p>
<p>They'd be fun to write -- if you were writing them for your best friend.
But with college essays, you're being judged by a complete stranger. Haven't you ever felt awkward meeting new people at a summer camp? Well, it's like that, except they have control over where you spend your next four years...</p>
<p>Essays for the lose!
I've spent countless nights brainstorming over the obscure details of my minute life, but found that I have nothing that stands out...too much, that is.
Very frustrating.</p>
<p>Applications...easy? I guess some are. The common app is easy enough, especially with their free topic essay. But the supplements are a pain! Some ask you more detailed questions to "get a better picture of you" and then some colleges have even more essays. Stanford has three. Hurray....</p>
<p>I have two years to go before I apply, but the UChicago essays are so intimidating!</p>
<p>It's definitely the essays. All the adcoms will see are your general stats, your grades and your SATs. The essay is the only thing in the app that will make you stand out from the other 20,000 apps that have the exact same stats as you or maybe even better stats. So the essay is the thing that makes strangers pick whether to let you in or not. And if your essay ain't good enough..then rejection.</p>
<p>Hard part of the essay is sometimes what they ask, you have to come across as being not cheesy, not promoting yourself and looking arrogant, but still trying to show them your best qualities while all the while making it on a personal level and making it within word limit. now that's hard.</p>
<p>Yeah, and the thing is that it has to be memorable, and if you're not a spectacular writer, it's hard to achieve that.</p>
<p>Essays, essays, essays!</p>
<p>The rest of the app is pretty much no big deal. List ECs, test scores, whatever. It takes maybe 30 minutes to fill out, tops. But those essays...oy!</p>
<p>Its not that apps are hard, its that they cause a LOT of stress (what with your future riding on them and all). And if your schools aren't commonapp or if they all want supplement essays, it gets pretty time consuming. And its not like teachers will, I don't know, give you LESS THAN 50 pgs of reading a night + 2 essays (I'm looking at YOU, Mr. Lit Teacher!) every day for a MONTH or anything useful like that.</p>
<p>if i were doing them and nothing else, it would be fine. college apps just seem to make up another course's worth of work...between dealing with the essay, sending things and ordering scores, stressing out because it has to get to the right place by the right time, etc... not to mention it's completely impossible to corral all the teachers/guidance counselors/administrators at my school to get the stuff i need from them.</p>