College applications in sooner rather than later or later rather than sooner?

Would you rather get all of your college applications done before school begins, but give up the last month of your summer and devote it to work? Or, enjoy the last month of your summer, but be super stressed during the beginning of school and overloaded with college work on top of school work?

This scenario is something most seniors in high school around the world are dealing with. Each option has a clear pro and a clear con, but which one is better? The answer is…neither! It is very situational and differs from student to student. To figure out what current seniors going through the process did and what underclassmen plan on doing, MDO spoke to a number of students to find out what the average student would choose. When speaking with Madison High School senior Emma Andersson, she said had started her college applications during, “the beginning of August, right when the common app came out” (Emma Andersson). MDO then asked Andersson why she started so early and if she was content with this decision she said she, “[thought] that was a good time to start because [she] could get a lot of stuff done before school started…and [now she has] a lot done which is good now that [she is] busy with school and sports” (Andersson).

After speaking with a current student going through the process, MDO wanted to talk to a student not going through the process. MDO spoke to Madison High School junior Liam Fry who said that he thinks it’s good to be, “almost done or done with [college applications] by the end of Marking Period one” (Liam Fry).

MDO then went to teachers and asked them what they believed was the best decision for their students. Science teacher, Jen Freedman says that, “ regardless of the “should” piece, most students would be deadline focused…as an adult [she is] deadline focused..if it’s[her] grading [she] gets it done before the end of the marking period” (Jen Freedman). We then asked her what she would do if she was a current high school senior and she said she would, “work to the deadline” (Freedman).

After speaking with a senior, a junior, and a teacher, MDO has come to the verdict that going at your own pace and using your time accordingly is the best option when it comes to college work.