For many high school students, the countdown until college seems almost like a looming threat. Although the most clear stress surrounding the college application process for seniors may have concluded a few months ago when applications were submitted, seniors are now encountering a new aspect of this transition out of high school: the aftermath of the decision letters they receive.
For many, it’s intimidating because it’s possible that the location of their college will influence where they live long-term and where they will eventually develop a career.
Henry Stroud, a Berkeley High School senior who is currently deciding where he wants to attend college, said, “It's stressful to choose where you're going to spend four years of your life, and I feel like as more and more people commit, it's been feeling like a weight on my chest. Of, ‘where do I want to spend my life, and also, what career path do I want to choose?’” Stroud said, “I would argue that the decisions part was worse (than applying).”
But sometimes, decisions are not only stressful because a student is trying to choose a college that’s the best fit for them. It can also affect students to see colleges their peers have gotten into, and they often end up pitting their own decisions against those of others.
“With decisions, you're always comparing yourself to other people even though you don't want to, and it can get toxic,” Stroud said.
Students comparing themselves to others and or feeling the weight of the decision through the lens of social pressure can be extremely stressful.
Talia Nishioka, a BHS senior in the process of committing, said, “I got into this good school, and everybody knows about it. News has spread, and they assume I'm going or there's a lot of conversations about it. And so I feel a lot of pressure there, and I'm stressed because I'm thinking, ‘where am I going to live for the next four years?’”
While some students experience a stressful decision season similar to Stroud and Nishioka, others find committing to a college much easier than the process of applying.
“Applying is way more stressful. It's a lot more work, writing all the essays and activities and gathering all the information,” Jaymul Barot, a BHS senior who has already committed to University of California Berkeley, said, “Once you have all your decisions, it's pretty easy to make a decision, because it’s pretty clear.”
Meanwhile, Felix Waterman, a BHS senior who hasn’t committed to a college yet, mentioned that he thought the application process was harder, but noted that they are just two very different experiences. “I was trying to appeal to the school, and now I'm trying to see how the school appeals to myself, and that's just a different mindset than I had before,” Waterman said.
Nishioka, who is still in the process of deciding, said, “I'm thinking of taking another week to decide, because I don't think it necessarily is a decision that should be rushed.”
Students have until May 1, 2026 to make their final decision, which gives some time to really think about what would work best for them, as opposed to just choosing a school based on perceived prestige or pressure they’re receiving from others.
“There's a lot to weigh, all the pros and cons, and I've gotten to a point where a lot of my options — I feel like I could be really happy going to all of them,” Waterman said, “So it's kind of hard to decide which one I think I could be happiest at.”
For seniors, deciding on a college can seem like an impossible choice. There’s pressure to think about all possible considerations, such as where to live, where they can build the best career, what other people say about it, and more. But, in reality, committing to a college isn’t signing one’s life away, and the college someone goes to doesn’t define them as a person. Because choosing a college can be such a big decision, hopefully students use this special time as an opportunity to take time to think about what’s best for them, and not just what looks the best on paper.