It’s official! The time has come for seniors to begin worrying about choosing colleges, going through applications, and writing personal statements. College application season has finally arrived for YLHS seniors!  

As there are thousands of different colleges for students worldwide to apply to, there are several different types of college applications YLHS seniors should become well acquainted with. The top tier types of college apps include the Common Application, the UC Application, Cal State Apply, as well as schools with their own application system.

Although each application system has its individual requirements, generally colleges will need your high school transcript, standardized testing scores (ACT, SAT, and/or SAT II Subject Tests), extracurriculars, leadership positions, volunteering experiences, one or two teacher recommendations, and essay questions.

Some YLHS seniors have already begun their college application journeys and are eager for their time beyond high school to commence!

Karissa Dole (12) has been an avid Mustang for four years, but she is now looking towards the state of Colorado for the next few years. For her personal statement, Karissa is writing about her volunteering experience at the Academy of Music for the Blind and how it taught her that there is “more to music than just playing notes.” Karissa’s dream college is Colorado University. Because her life goal is to work for the United States Olympic Committee, she thought it would be a perfect fit for her to attend Colorado University since their training center is located only five minutes away from the campus. She would like to major in international business.

Grace Kim (12) is looking to stay within the state of California, with aspirations of attending the University of California, Davis or University of California, Santa Cruz. Grace is choosing to major in neuroscience, because she believes she has a “calling for the medical field.” Her personal statement is about her major, art backgrounds, and her volunteering experiences working with children. In the future, Grace would like to become a pediatric doctor or a general surgeon.

Juliette Fournier (12) has been dreaming to attend the University of California, Los Angeles for several years now. After attending a summer camp for architecture at UCLA, Juliette knew she would enjoy pursuing this as a career. Her personal essay is about overcoming her pre-recital jitters as a pianist. Juliette would either like to major in applied mathematics or engineering.

With the next few months being dedicated towards college applications, it is vital for seniors to persevere and apply to the colleges they really want. If you are currently a senior beginning the application process, you can do it!