When summer draws to a close, students know exactly what is approaching: the start of a new school year at Lakota West. The first quarter is usually full of excitement for buying new gear, meeting old friends, and diving into new classes  Seniors, however, have a terrible stressor — getting their college applications submitted. 

Part of the stress exists because most students do not know where to start. Seniors have to figure out where to apply, when deadlines are, and more. The most essential part of the college application process is the completion of the Common Application, a basic way for colleges to obtain students’ credentials and information. This is the standard application that most colleges use. One must create their “common app” account, complete the application, which includes many sections asking about student activities, family, living location, and more. Once the common app is complete, students must fill out separate applications for each college they want to apply to, where each one may be completely different. These applications ask similar questions to the Common App, but more college-specific ones, such as freshman residence plans, whether they wish for an early action application or a regular decision, and more. These vary from school to school.

There are other parts that go into completing college applications, such as the applications fees (most colleges require students to pay a fee for applying), submitting ACT/SAT scores (many schools have made these submissions optional for the 21-22 application season due to the pandemic), and the requesting and submitting of college Letters of Recommendation (The gateway to a great college application —  they give the admission office an idea of who you are from others’ perspective. Most teachers need at least a month in advance, as they have other letters to write). Although this is a tedious process, it is all worth it in the end when the applicant submits and the wait begins for the student to find out if they got into the school they applied to. We wish every senior the best of luck in this process!