The day that high school students everywhere dread the most has officially passed. Nov. 1 Is one of the most stressful days a student can experience, especially for the procrastinators and last minute submitters. 

For students in FCPS, this time of the year is especially stressful. Not only do we have to deal with college application deadlines, but also the end of the first quarter.

With the end of the quarter comes a never-ending load of final homework assignments, tests and projects. Time management is key in order to survive such a workload. 

Submitting our applications and ensuring that we send in our very best work to colleges is such a crucial point in our lives. Where we end up after high school will have such an influential impact on our lives, so why are we receiving tons of work while trying to manage our college apps?

Teachers should be more supportive while we are going through such a stressful process. It is understandable that they have to follow the curriculum, however, trying their best to make the college application process less stressful would only be contributing to our future success.

If teachers would be able to plan around the week before college apps are due, possibly assign more work the week before, then this would allow students to have more time to focus on submitting everything on time. 

Even postponing tests or having them before the week leading up to Nov. 1 would be a positive way to support us through the college application process. 

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Another method of reducing stress would be to provide a class solely dedicated to applying to college. In some cases, students are not aware of the deadlines or requirements that are needed while applying to college. Most students were making a desperate attempt to submit their transcript form on the very last day they were due, just because they were unaware of such a requirement.

The first semester of this class can focus on the actual application process and making sure that students receive information on important deadlines. Also, giving students designated time to work on their apps is a great way to promote productivity. Having an adviser while given the opportunity to work on apps is a great resource that the school should provide.

The second semester could focus on scholarship opportunities or even professional workplace skills to continue to provide lessons that will help the students years after they graduate from MHS.

Overall, there are many different ways that the school and staff could help make the college application process less stressful, especially with the challenging curriculums that MHS has to offer. A plan to give out less work the week before common apps are due or even a class dedicated to applying to college can go a long way for a student’s success in the future.