Meenal Alagumuthu

Extracurricular activities revolve around the logo of the Common Application, symbolizing how many students’ lives are driven by college admissions. This can be harmful to students’ lives and wellbeing.

There’s an inherent irony in the American college admissions process. 

When a student applies, a 4.0 GPA seems standard, but once you get in, the adage is “C’s get degrees.” Universities are selective as to who is worthy of paying the on-average $38,270 yearly tuition.

Across the top colleges in the United States, admissions rates have declined by over 15% in the last 20 years. With this diminution, it’s natural that the culture of admissions has changed alongside the statistics.

And while the desirability of these elite universities has increased dramatically, admissions have decreased ‒ and as is usual, the lack of supply leads to mass desperation. 

It’s almost like nowadays, admissions isn’t about being a good fit: it’s about who can follow the unspoken rules.

From freshman year of high school, so many students are told to join all the clubs they can to benefit their future college applications. The culture surrounding this minefield of teenage decisions doesn’t just lead to stress — it leads to people who spend their high school years trying to get into college. Living constantly for the future instead of the present isn’t healthy for anyone, especially growing teens. 

“It’s pretty common for people to choose to participate in activities that they’re not exactly interested in, but they’re doing it to help their resume,” said senior William Yang. “I’ve definitely found myself doing that in the past.”

Common advice from influencers and community alike is to “build your resume.” Setting aside the fact that teenagers shouldn’t feel pressured to have a professional resume at 16, it’s just unrealistic. When the time commitment for school is that of a full-time job, and homework takes it over the forty-hour mark, it’s impractical to expect more. 

For some, the Math and Science Academy (MSA) adds another layer of pressure. 

“That competitive environment really does push you to be your best,” MSA senior Grace Kavanaugh said. “But you do feel a lot of pressure from your peers. Everything kind of seems like a competition at times.”

This culture created in the MSA, while rigorous, can lead to negative feelings around admissions ‒ especially as it seems that students are competing against their classmates for acceptance into top universities. 

Yet the root of the problem is, ironically, increasing potential. According to Harvard’s Common Data Set, the average high school GPA of accepted students has gone up 0.21 points since 2011. 

“Now, everyone’s good enough,” senior Eleanor Strader said. “You’re not competing against people with 3.5 GPAs now. That’s not considered a good GPA anymore.”

Everywhere you turn, another roadblock turns up ‒ the admissions system and its culture have turned into a minefield for seniors, and something must be done.