On Oct. 1, the highly anticipated college application process for most seniors began. With the opening of the University of California and California State University’s applications, seniors hoping to pursue a college education have found themselves overwhelmed with the applications they must complete.
“College applications overall create more stress for seniors since we are expected to manage our school life and personal schedules. Especially when your schedule consists of multiple AP classes, clubs or internships,” senior Natasha Avila said.
The California State University common application consists of four sections with no essays required. To access the application, students must select the Fall 2023 term and have their transcript, test scores and financial information on hand; the same goes for the University of California common application. The UC application consists of seven categories and requires responses to four out of the eight Personal Insight Questions. Students must select the Fall Quarter/Semester 2023 application and are encouraged to have a list of their activities and awards ready.
Both CSU’s and UC’s continue to be test blind but may utilize AP, SAT or ACT test scores for placement. No one is required to report any score but they are encouraged. If seniors scored a ‘3’ or scored ‘exempt’ on the CAASPP test then these scores could be used for placement at a CSU. Moreover, to report grades successfully, seniors should list Mission Hills High twice under two different term systems in the academic section to account for the virtual 4 by 4 system they experienced during their sophomore year.
If they qualify, they can apply to 4 UC and CSU Campuses for free, if not then each UC application is $75 and each CSU application is $70. When applying it’s important to remember that impacted majors will be more selective and competitive therefore students are encouraged to look up impacted majors for both CSU’s and UC’s.
“I am definitely both nervous and excited for this college application season. It definitely has been a little stressful but I am super fortunate to have the AVID family support as well as the counselor workshops. They have made [this season] so much easier,” senior Kimberly Hernandez said.
Some students find that the AVID Senior Seminar class has provided a space in which students are given the time to complete their applications during school. In having the opportunity to work on their applications in class, that additional stress of handling homework and extracurriculars is said to be eliminated. Seniors have the additional help of their school counselors who have provided application workshops and are encouraged to seek opportunities.
“You never know unless you try! It’s not about the name of the school, it’s about the school that’s right for you,” said Jamie Yorba, AVID coordinator.
Students can access the UC Website, CSU Website, Future Center and Counseling page to learn more about the college application process or to schedule a meeting with a counselor to discuss their application. Seniors can also visit room 540 for I Am AP’s College Workshop Seminar every Thursday and Friday at lunch. Seniors are welcome to come in and work on anything college application related. Mission Hills is home to a multitude of resources that can support seniors during college application season and it’s all about taking advantage of them.