There are several things about the college app process that annoy me the most. These top college (and even some state-level) colleges expect students to get into TONS of extracurricular activities. But I wished people would talk about the fact that access to transportation has a HUGE impact on people’s availability to participate in those activities. And some high schools are just better than others in terms of classes offered, class size, and activities/club available. I feel like it is just impossible to compete with other students since are so many factors that are just not being taken into consideration.
exactly, I don't have transportation availible to me 24/7 bc only ONE of my parents can drive and event then, they work till 5pm but i got out of clubs at 4 pm. Also, i am discouraged from seeking out transport bc rough homelife and ik I will constantly be berated on the way home!!
Yes, I completely agree that lots of colleges tend to indirectly encourage students to rack up ecs that they may not actually be passionate about; I love your point about transportation, and I do think it's not considered enough. As for the class offerings and variations from high school to high school, I like to think that the admissions officers take that into account when evaluating applications, but I'm honestly not sure to what degree they do.
@@shikumas That is so frustrating! I'm sorry that your situation doesn't put you in the most convenient position to engage in ecs, and I appreciate you sharing your experiences. I wish you the best of luck in whatever comes next!
I’d like to offer my 2 cents as a HYPC admit: I think it’s more the students rather than the colleges that perpetuate the standard of doing a lot of “high level” or just a good extracurriculars. What these schools rather see is passion for extracurriculars that you genuinely enjoy, not just a ton of ecs just for the point of applications, yet a lot of applicants seem to miss that. The lack of transportation is definitely a valid concern, and I completely agree that it is unfair in the sense that some high schools are better then others, but at the same time, these schools take your circumstances into consideration as admissions are holistic. A student a top tier private high school will be looked at differently than a low income student at a poor public school! You say there are so many factors that aren’t being taken into consideration, and I somewhat agree. The colleges aren’t perfect, but they do what they can to make admissions holistic and “level the playing field.” Let me know if this comment helped your understanding a little :)
the toxic college culture mindset is what i pushed myself into for my freshman and sophomore year, and it started to take such a toll on my mental and physical health. i honestly just couldnt take it anymore i was having not really panic attacks but my heartbeat would suddenly rise and i felt like my chest was closing in on itself, and my mental health was in the gutter. i was eventually accepted into an early admit program for my state university (which was a good fit for my research and academic interests) so i managed to escape the college admissions process before it got really bad in junior year. i feel for my friends who are still stuck in the mire that is college admissions in this day and age. so many people sacrifice their health, hobbies, and personalities really to become "good enough" for these schools but in the end its so subjective and no one really knows whats going on in the ao's mind.
I'm so sorry that you had to go through that stress and pressure, and I'm glad that getting that early acceptance helped alleviate some of that discomfort. It's very unfortunate draining college admissions and applications can be for students, and I hope that those who are in the midst of the process can find things that help decrease their stress while enjoying high school! Thank you for sharing your experiences, and best of luck for whatever comes next!
so real!!! i cant pretend like idc ab getting into a good school, but it really has become SO toxic and dispassionate for many that you feel the need to conform..
yes that's definitely true! Sometimes it's so much easier to conform, which sucks, but all we can really do is try to stay true to ourselves and be aware of the college admissions culture so that we don't get sucked into it haha
Sometimes the toxicity exist in the competitive thinking of the student whose thinking says "You must be THE best." This thinking style can be helpful in high school because it causes the drives the student to work hard and achieve success but, sometimes a student will take this thinking style too far. For example, some students will feel the need to apply to 30, 40, 50 colleges. And in some extreme cases, a student's thinking style is soo impaired that he/she will feel a need to apply to 100 colleges. It is this hyper competitive thinking style that is toxic. These students have to change their thinking style so that they can live a happy life. They have to get rid of a thinking style that controls them and puts too much pressure on them. They must change their perfectionist thinking style that is toxic. Applying to, maybe 10 schools is reasonable and puts less stress on the student.
I agree! A student's mindset will often determine how they perceive and approach different situations, sometimes making them more stressful than they need to be haha. The pressure to apply to tons of colleges is definitely real, and it causes some (including myself) to apply to more colleges than necessary. And yes, you're right in that students need to shift their own mindset to relieve some of that self-induced stress and burden (although it's not always easy.) Thank you for sharing such insightful points!
Yeah honestly, growing up in the SF bay area i realized real early on that the pressure is just too much to bear. Students were literally dying because of it. I've kinda just decided that I'm just gonna focus on enjoying life and having the most fun doing what makes me happy and if a college doesn't like that, screw them. (that may be a privileged take but at this point I've kinda lost hope in the system anyway). Also I feel like this isn't talked about enough but community colleges(maybe just in Cali) are really awesome and in the age of the internet, the knowledge is largely the same everywhere. Im so sick of "name recognition". Loved the vid. XOXO
Yes, the pressure is awful sometimes. It's great that you've made the decision to prioritize your mental health, well-being, and happiness because those components are so much more important than anything else. You're amazing for that! And I agree, community colleges are an excellent way to obtain further education (at a lower cost too lol), and there are lots of online resources too. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I appreciate you!
I wish that admission counselors didn't get access information on your name, race, or sex. Ik you can click 'perfer not to say' for stuff, but I wish it was mandatory so that the only way they would know somebody was a minority was if they read it in the essay. My mom would have to use a white-sounding name in order for people to be more respectful in emails to her. In EMAILS. Bias and racism is still a thing.
I also don't think colleges should be able to ask about whether or not you have legacy status, since we all know they get shown more preference, especially within big institutions.
@@atnicole461 Yes, that would definitely be a way to minimize the biases that may arise when evaluating college applications. Hopefully in the future certain policies and protocols are adjusted to further prevent unfair judgements. I'm sorry to hear that your mom had to go through that, and the subtle racism throughout society is really sad. And yes, legacy has become a very controversial topic in college admissions, and I wish that they would change the policies regarding that. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences!
I’m not sure if this happens everywhere else. But in Québec we have CEGEPS. Apparently the Administration over here literally checks your name, and if you have a name that sounds like a name a minority would have you would likely not get accepted if there is somebody who has let’s say a name like John Smith. I find that very infuriating. I hope this was clear enough to understand because I was NOT cooking during the middle of this yap session.
Oh wow I didn't know that was the case in Québec, and that sounds really unfair. I hope that in the future there are efforts to change the policies regarding administrative procedures in evaluating student applications.
There are several things about the college app process that annoy me the most. These top college (and even some state-level) colleges expect students to get into TONS of extracurricular activities. But I wished people would talk about the fact that access to transportation has a HUGE impact on people’s availability to participate in those activities. And some high schools are just better than others in terms of classes offered, class size, and activities/club available. I feel like it is just impossible to compete with other students since are so many factors that are just not being taken into consideration.
exactly, I don't have transportation availible to me 24/7 bc only ONE of my parents can drive and event then, they work till 5pm but i got out of clubs at 4 pm. Also, i am discouraged from seeking out transport bc rough homelife and ik I will constantly be berated on the way home!!
Yes, I completely agree that lots of colleges tend to indirectly encourage students to rack up ecs that they may not actually be passionate about; I love your point about transportation, and I do think it's not considered enough. As for the class offerings and variations from high school to high school, I like to think that the admissions officers take that into account when evaluating applications, but I'm honestly not sure to what degree they do.
@@shikumas That is so frustrating! I'm sorry that your situation doesn't put you in the most convenient position to engage in ecs, and I appreciate you sharing your experiences. I wish you the best of luck in whatever comes next!
I’d like to offer my 2 cents as a HYPC admit:
I think it’s more the students rather than the colleges that perpetuate the standard of doing a lot of “high level” or just a good extracurriculars. What these schools rather see is passion for extracurriculars that you genuinely enjoy, not just a ton of ecs just for the point of applications, yet a lot of applicants seem to miss that.
The lack of transportation is definitely a valid concern, and I completely agree that it is unfair in the sense that some high schools are better then others, but at the same time, these schools take your circumstances into consideration as admissions are holistic. A student a top tier private high school will be looked at differently than a low income student at a poor public school!
You say there are so many factors that aren’t being taken into consideration, and I somewhat agree. The colleges aren’t perfect, but they do what they can to make admissions holistic and “level the playing field.” Let me know if this comment helped your understanding a little :)
the toxic college culture mindset is what i pushed myself into for my freshman and sophomore year, and it started to take such a toll on my mental and physical health. i honestly just couldnt take it anymore i was having not really panic attacks but my heartbeat would suddenly rise and i felt like my chest was closing in on itself, and my mental health was in the gutter. i was eventually accepted into an early admit program for my state university (which was a good fit for my research and academic interests) so i managed to escape the college admissions process before it got really bad in junior year. i feel for my friends who are still stuck in the mire that is college admissions in this day and age. so many people sacrifice their health, hobbies, and personalities really to become "good enough" for these schools but in the end its so subjective and no one really knows whats going on in the ao's mind.
I'm so sorry that you had to go through that stress and pressure, and I'm glad that getting that early acceptance helped alleviate some of that discomfort. It's very unfortunate draining college admissions and applications can be for students, and I hope that those who are in the midst of the process can find things that help decrease their stress while enjoying high school! Thank you for sharing your experiences, and best of luck for whatever comes next!
so real!!! i cant pretend like idc ab getting into a good school, but it really has become SO toxic and dispassionate for many that you feel the need to conform..
yes that's definitely true! Sometimes it's so much easier to conform, which sucks, but all we can really do is try to stay true to ourselves and be aware of the college admissions culture so that we don't get sucked into it haha
1:32 yes this is me, I'm stuck in an endless loop where I can't tell if I'm actually interested and having fun or if I'm just gaslighting myself
I feel that! It can be so difficult to tell the difference sometimes, but I hope you're able to find your true passions and hobbies!
Sometimes the toxicity exist in the competitive thinking of the student whose thinking says "You must be THE best." This thinking style can be helpful in high school because it causes the drives the student to work hard and achieve success but, sometimes a student will take this thinking style too far. For example, some students will feel the need to apply to 30, 40, 50 colleges. And in some extreme cases, a student's thinking style is soo impaired that he/she will feel a need to apply to 100 colleges. It is this hyper competitive thinking style that is toxic. These students have to change their thinking style so that they can live a happy life. They have to get rid of a thinking style that controls them and puts too much pressure on them. They must change their perfectionist thinking style that is toxic. Applying to, maybe 10 schools is reasonable and puts less stress on the student.
I agree! A student's mindset will often determine how they perceive and approach different situations, sometimes making them more stressful than they need to be haha. The pressure to apply to tons of colleges is definitely real, and it causes some (including myself) to apply to more colleges than necessary. And yes, you're right in that students need to shift their own mindset to relieve some of that self-induced stress and burden (although it's not always easy.) Thank you for sharing such insightful points!
Yeah honestly, growing up in the SF bay area i realized real early on that the pressure is just too much to bear. Students were literally dying because of it. I've kinda just decided that I'm just gonna focus on enjoying life and having the most fun doing what makes me happy and if a college doesn't like that, screw them. (that may be a privileged take but at this point I've kinda lost hope in the system anyway). Also I feel like this isn't talked about enough but community colleges(maybe just in Cali) are really awesome and in the age of the internet, the knowledge is largely the same everywhere. Im so sick of "name recognition". Loved the vid. XOXO
Yes, the pressure is awful sometimes. It's great that you've made the decision to prioritize your mental health, well-being, and happiness because those components are so much more important than anything else. You're amazing for that! And I agree, community colleges are an excellent way to obtain further education (at a lower cost too lol), and there are lots of online resources too. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I appreciate you!
I wish that admission counselors didn't get access information on your name, race, or sex. Ik you can click 'perfer not to say' for stuff, but I wish it was mandatory so that the only way they would know somebody was a minority was if they read it in the essay. My mom would have to use a white-sounding name in order for people to be more respectful in emails to her. In EMAILS. Bias and racism is still a thing.
I also don't think colleges should be able to ask about whether or not you have legacy status, since we all know they get shown more preference, especially within big institutions.
@@atnicole461 Yes, that would definitely be a way to minimize the biases that may arise when evaluating college applications. Hopefully in the future certain policies and protocols are adjusted to further prevent unfair judgements. I'm sorry to hear that your mom had to go through that, and the subtle racism throughout society is really sad. And yes, legacy has become a very controversial topic in college admissions, and I wish that they would change the policies regarding that. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences!
I’m not sure if this happens everywhere else. But in Québec we have CEGEPS. Apparently the Administration over here literally checks your name, and if you have a name that sounds like a name a minority would have you would likely not get accepted if there is somebody who has let’s say a name like John Smith. I find that very infuriating. I hope this was clear enough to understand because I was NOT cooking during the middle of this yap session.
Oh wow I didn't know that was the case in Québec, and that sounds really unfair. I hope that in the future there are efforts to change the policies regarding administrative procedures in evaluating student applications.
more and more need to see this video, to be aware.
im glad you found this video insightful!
❤from India(arunachal pradesh)
thanks for watching!