College application season is well under way, with early decision applications usually due by Nov. 1, and regular admissions applications due between Jan. 1-March 1. 

This time of year for seniors can be stressful and forces them to confront the future.

“The application process as a whole was stressful but also surreal at the same time,” senior Ellie Hale said. “I’ve worked extremely hard to make sure I had a good application for years, and finishing my main application was a huge relief.”

She plans to go out of state for college to attend the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

“I’m not too nervous because my family is also moving out of state with me because of my mom’s job, so that’ll be nice,” she said. “I think the thing I’m the most nervous about is the anticipation of all the new things I’m going to be exposed to new people, a new environment, a new place. It can be a lot to take in, but I’m ready to take it on.”

Some seniors haven’t applied yet.

“I’m honestly still trying to decide where I want to go and what I want to major in, so I haven’t applied anywhere yet,” senior Kaleb Gifford said. “My top choices are (Kansas), (Oklahoma State) and K-State.”

Application season is not stressful for senior Aneesa Abdul-Hameed.

“The process was pretty easy. Pretty soon, I’m going to be applying for more places because I have a few more schools looking at me,” she said. 

Choosing a major is a huge factor that must be considered when working on a college application.

“It was difficult to choose my major,” senior Alexis Sutton said. “I had originally wanted to be an actress for a really long time. Then at the beginning of last year it turned to an interior designer, and now I want to go into music education. Once I figured out what I wanted to do, it was fairly easy to choose which college I wanted to go to.”

Students who are in the Butler program are already on the path for college.

“I’m actually already going full time to Butler, so I just have to transfer to a new college,” senior Kylie Winkle said. “I applied to Wichita State with a priority application, since all Butler credits transfer to WSU.”

Figuring out financial aid and FAFSA is a huge stressor for many students.

“I did apply for the FAFSA, and the application process was sort of difficult, but I cheated and had my mom help me,” Sutton said.

When asked to reflect on the college application process, Sutton recalls the mistakes that she made along the way.

“I wish that I had known how time consuming it would be. I tend to procrastinate on a lot of things, so it was kind of hard to actually sit down and do my application. I did not finish in one sitting,” she said.