As the winter months passed by and the semester came to an end, students at San Dimas rushed to lift their grades and seniors participated in the last stretch of completing their college applications; accordingly, they turned to their underclassmen peers to gift some words of advice, partaking in the holiday spirit.
Throughout the holiday months from August through December, seniors took part in the UC applications for admissions to schools like UCLA, Berkeley, Davis, and Irvine. After that comes other application processes like the Common App, which includes over 1000+ colleges throughout the United States and internationally. These few months are filled with stress, fear, and excitement as seniors fill in their applications with awards and mentions of their continuous hard work and determination over their school years.
As seniors reminisce back on their four years at San Dimas High School and all the memories they shared with friends and staff alongside the efforts they made to get into their dream colleges, they feel a sense of gratitude and triumph that they take along with them as they finish up their journey to start a new one. Despite the variety of schools each senior applied to, they all came together in sharing diverse tips that helped them navigate their path. Now, as the holiday months approach, these seniors are keen on giving juniors honest advice that they found helpful.
First tip: Planning. The majority of seniors all gave advice regarding planning out senior year and applications early. Starting and ending off senior strong starts with a stable base as it sets students up for success throughout academics and other activities. “Start as early as possible. Revision is key and the more time you have, the more you can refine your application. Just sitting with what you have to write about is a good start because you have your whole life to look over,” said senior Ryan Li. Completing minuscule tasks like filling out basic information on separate days accumulates and working on essays bit by bit and saves so much more time and stress when due dates come around.
Second tip: Be inspired. Everything comes from inspiration, whether it be an everyday assignment or writing up a college essay. Students are encouraged to take influence from things in their surroundings. There are numerous resources online and especially at school, from teachers who’ve gone through the same experience and relate to the concerns that students face during these times. “Look up TikToks, IG reels, and 
YouTube videos about college essays and tips. Read College Essay Guy’s articles for UC apps and the Common App,” said senior Bella Marroquin. Beyond the internet, students should utilize the people around them to get revisions and receive feedback, from parents, friends, and professionals. College essays don’t have to be flashy, they’re a reflection of true self and individuality.
Third tip: Be yourself. Often times, students are too focused on refining their essays and applications that it doesn’t showcase their true unique identity. Exposure to others’ essays and accepted applications online create a distorted view on what applications should look like to be accepted into good schools. Though there are certain requirements and preferences that each school looks for, each applicant is different and what they bring to the table differs from student to student. Just focus on your story and strengths and work on improving each one into a strong component of your application instead of working on several weak projects at once. “While I think that some information is valuable in preventing critical mistakes, it is also important to keep your application unique to you. Think outside the box!” expressed senior Jocelyn River.
With this information, upcoming juniors are sure to integrate useful information that they can fall back on during their own application processes. By learning from the experiences of current seniors, they’ll be able to tackle their own challenges with greater clarity and readiness, and for current seniors who have finished applying or are still in their applying process; they’ll be going forward in their journeys with the useful knowledge they’ve gained from this experience.
