Seniors have a lot on their hands during the October-November time period, with obligations such as keeping grades up against raging senioritis, working part-time jobs, and of course the dreaded college application season. Seniors at Bear River are working diligently to get their applications in on time, gather letters of recommendation and present their best selves through their personal essays.
Senior Mya Marsh expresses the pressure these past months have put on her, as there’s so much that universities require from applicants.
“It’s been really quite stressful,” she said. “October was insane because I had an application due at the end of the month. I was applying to BYU-Provo which is a very important school to me. There were like eight essays and it was all kind of crazy.
The most stressful part of the process was probably making sure my transcripts were OK because I’ve taken dual-enrollment classes. Essays were also very stressful.”
Senior Chris Christensen, on the other hand, didn’t experience that same pressure that’s so familiar to many BR students.
“If what I want to do doesn’t work out, oh well. I’ll always figure out something else,” he said.
Christensen plans to apply to University of Nevada-Las Vegas as well as the University of Nevada-Reno. He said both of these options match what he looks for in a university.
“What stands out to me is a good electrical engineering program, a good relationship with the military, Reserve Officer Training Corps, Air Force Reserve Training Corps, that kind of stuff,” Christensen said. “A good location that isn’t California is also bueno.”
“I want to major in electrical engineering, electrical systems, or computer engineering — whatever major fits best with going into the military afterwards as an officer. After 20 years of experience, I want to retire and have a good life after that.”
Marsh is taking quite a different approach to her major, leaning more towards the creative side of the career spectrum.
“I want to major in landscape architecture, which BYU has a good program for,” Marsh said. “After I graduate, I want to use this degree to open my own business for landscape architecture here in California. I’ll have a really great yard, too.”
KC Worden is one of two counselors at Bear River, who works with students figuring out where to go after graduating high school. There are many services BR counselors can provide to seniors.
“We try to support our students in and through the process, so we do workshops every Tuesday in the College and Career Center from the beginning of September through November 30, when college applications are traditionally due,” Worden said. “We always start out by looking at the three tiers of applications and having students research where they’re going to apply. We bring in guest speakers and a representative from the UC Berkeley alumni to help with college personal insight essays.
“We just want to help students navigate a really complicated, arduous journey.”
Worden oversees many seniors and their college journeys, and calls for students to start thinking more about their futures.
“I wish we had more students coming in for Tuesday workshops… they’re missing valuable information when they don’t,” she said. “I’d like to continue to see that grow and for more students to utilize those resources.
“I always tell seniors that senior year is the most exciting, happy time but is also stressful, because most seniors already have full workloads. School, sports, jobs and social stuff with college applications on top is almost like another full-time job.
“That’s why I always want kids to start early and plan. Set calendar time aside — because it’s actually not as hard when you sit down and do it. It’s partly just the anticipation and fear of doing it. For students that haven’t started yet, Thanksgiving break is coming up, which is a perfect time to sit down — you could even spend one day over break and knock it all out.”