October at State High brings more than just fall leaves and football games. For many seniors, it’s the start of college application season, a time already packed with tests, homework, and the end of the first marking period. The pressure is intense, and for some, overwhelming. Even juniors are starting to feel the stress of what lies ahead. With so much on our plates, students are left wondering: should teachers reconsider how much work they assign during such a chaotic time?
This constant pressure is something seniors such as Reese Fischer felt deeply. She shared her experience so far.
“I have only heard stressful things from people applying to college, all of my friends are really stressed about it and we talk about it all the time because it never leaves our heads,” Fischer said. “I freaked out yesterday about it because I have so many other things to worry about.”
The stress surrounding college applications isn’t limited to seniors, it’s also affecting students in other grades who see the challenges their older peers are facing. Cullen O’Hara, a junior at State High, has picked up on the anxiety around him. He noted how the pressure of applications seems to ripple through the entire student body, even for those who aren’t yet applying themselves.
“I feel like there is a lot of stress surrounding applying to college as a senior, just from an outside perspective,” O’Hara said.
With the intense, school wide pressure surrounding college applications, it seems especially overwhelming at State High. Teachers can consider this impact, and lighten the load by assigning less homework or schoolwork during this critical time. Even a small adjustment could make a big difference for students managing both school and future plans.
Similar to his classmates, senior Ben Carey has also been feeling the overwhelming force.
“It feels like I’ve been getting more homework in the month of October because I have to do college applications as well,” Carey said.
This feeling could likely be attributed to the end of the first marking period, which also happens to fall in October. There needs to be a way for stress levels to be reduced.
“I really think teachers should think about the amount of homework they are assigned in the month of October. Especially when you’re a senior, you’re taking mostly senior only classes and teachers know that,” Carey said.“I wish there was more consideration put into how much out of school work students are given, and even in school work. It’s a lot.”
Fischer shared a similar perspective on this.
“I think that teachers don’t think about college applications as much, they know that we’re doing it but they aren’t considering it very much with the amount of homework that they’re giving us,” Fischer said. “I think that they probably should think about it more because almost all of the students are worrying about it and that’s why they are behind in their classes.”
While seniors were mostly focusing on just their classes during this season, O’Hara considered the broader idea.
“I think that the coursework just in general should be lighter for classes when you’re in junior and senior year because you have to think about college and stuff like that,” O’Hara said.
The stress of October has become a shared experience at State High.Between homework, college deadlines, and balancing other commitments, students are left with little breathing room. A little extra understanding from teachers could go a long way in easing some of this burden. School prepares students for what’s next, not exhaust them before they can even get there.
