It's Groundhog Day again, not just a day when Punxsutawney Phil looks out and tries to see a shadow to see if it's winter again. It's Groundhog Day for teenagers across the country and around the world who are applying to college. And sadly, far too many of them do not need to check their shadows to see what this crushing stress of college admissions feels like. It's winter for so many of them, and this madness really needs to stop.
Applying to college is repetitive, just like the masterpiece GROUNDHOG DAY from Harold Ramis. It's hard for any adult to imagine the hours a teenager can spend filling out multiple forms and writing similar essays. It's an exhausting annual cycle as each new group of students jumps through the same hoops.
Just like the film, where the main character relives the same day over and over, the college admissions process can seem like an endless loop. But many teenagers struggle with anxiety and depression nowadays. Over 30% of teens have anxiety issues. 13% battle depression. College application stress certainly doesn't help. A 2022 study found over half of high schoolers have moderate to severe psychological distress from academic and college admissions anxiety.
This is a crisis. We can't wait another year to rethink things and challenge the idea that going to a "perfect" or "name-brand" school is a teen's only path to success. It's long past time we considered students as individuals - their goals, lives, and mental health. On this Groundhog Day and the whole year through, student well-being should come before college admissions mania.
Full disclosure: Our team and company have the joy and privilege of helping teenagers navigate their journey to college. For thousands of them, this means they use the free resources we share. For a few hundred, it means they are our clients and partners as we work 1:1 with students and families.
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