As the Colorado Free Application Days (10/7-10/9) come to an end, Dawson seniors are feeling the reality of the college admissions season. 

Here are responses from four seniors when asked how they’re feeling about the application process.

Bella Ward (‘26) says “It feels like I’m getting my foot in the door, it feels like a lot of things have been leading up to this, and it was exciting!”

Violeta Gerding(‘26) comments how she is “worried about whether everything is good enough for the colleges.”

“It’s a lot to keep track of, but I feel well supported by the college counselors,” says Siren (‘26)

 Elsie Holand (‘26) feels “nervous and excited for the future”

By now, almost all of the seniors have submitted their applications to the schools that they are applying to in Colorado. Now that this milestone is out of the way, here is some advice these seniors have:

Siren says to “Lean on your college counselors as much as you can because you won’t be so stressed out if you do.”

Violeta warns that “Earlier is better for college applications. Have a plan during the summer, waiting for school to start is not a good process because you’ll be really stressed.”

Following this advice, Elsie started her college process in June and advises juniors to “have a schedule and list out everything you need to do.” She also says that “organizing similar prompts for supplements” has helped her stay on top of college essays. Elsie’s biggest piece of advice was “Don’t compare what you’re doing to anyone else because it’s not all the same.” She reflected on how it can be easy to feel behind, but in reality, everyone is on different timelines.

Although these applications are out of the way, stress is still high in the senior class, with more deadlines fast approaching.