Heart racing. Palms sweating. Anxiety scorches through your veins as you click the “View Status Update” button.
Rejected.
Your worst nightmare has come to life. As tears prick your eyes, you are left wondering what more you could have done during the last seventeen years of your life to increase your chance.
This is unfortunately the dark reality of seniors who navigate the college decision process and are crushed by rejections from their dream schools. This toxic competition to one-up their peers and avoid such a disappointing outcome introduces a more concerning caveat: Starting the college admissions process in middle school.
Many parents’ drive toget their seventh and eighth graders ahead of their peers influences them to load up on a multitude of fast-paced virtual and in-person classes outside of their typical middle school curriculum, prohibiting their ability to immerse themselves in the content.
“By institutionalizing a sense of urgency to grow up and accomplish goals before you send in applications, we are effectively placing one’s childhood at risk,” stated Las Vegas Academy of the Arts senior Christian Jattan.
With some high schools allowing freshmen to test into calculus, a course four levels above the conventional introductory-level algebra class, this mentality of simply getting ahead to look more impressionable toward colleges has become a more popularized pathway. Still, a shortcut to achieving higher placement should not come at the expense of the student’s opportunity to enjoy learning.
“I do think there is more pressure on students when they’re younger because [there’s] a lot of social media and chatter about … how hard it is,” explained Dean of Academic Advisement Kristi Rossi. “[The pressure] filters down and makes students feel a little bit anxious about the process … when they probably don’t need to be, especially not in middle school.”
In addition, being involved in competitive or intramural sports is an opportunity for kids to develop new skills and build a strong work ethic. However, those with experience in specific sports are commonly frightened of quitting before high school because they feel that their time and dedication would go to waste. Take my example as a former swimmer. Though my relationship with swimming had been at an all-time low in middle school, my hesitancy to switch to cross country in high school was a direct result of fearing the consequences of how admission officers would perceive my inexperience in running.
Besides academics and athletics, committing time to extracurriculars that are tailored to a student’s “niche” before high school has occurred more frequently. Limiting a student in what they “should” and “should not” spend time doing from an early age and making them compelled to follow a clear pathway tailored to their career interests gives off the impression that participating in hobbies for fun is considered a waste of time.
“I tried a lot of things and then didn’t stick to them, especially in middle school, and [at] the beginning of high school,” shared senior Sara Muzzi, who recently completed her college applications. “So, I think … trying to figure out who you are and how you want to represent yourself [is] what stuck out to me in the application process.”
Though the saying “rejection is redirection” is becoming widely used to stifle the harsh realities of being denied a coveted spot, many parents are beginning as early as they can to increase their children’s likelihood of avoiding the possibility of rejection to instead celebrate with virtual confetti on college decision days.
