College Essays: A Deep Dive into Senior Writers

With the start of a new school year, countless seniors at Eastlake and beyond have started writing their college essays. For many this is a stressful experience, but it can also be a chance for students to reflect on their past years and share their stories.

High schoolers around Washington State have already begun writing their essays, despite their differing opinions on how the process is going. Stephanie Velea (’25), a student at Tesla STEM High School, started writing her essay at the beginning of summer. For Stephanie, the process has been nothing short of fulfilling, despite the stress it brings. She passionately reflects on the process by stating, “It helps you delve into deeper parts of yourself, and discover different parts of your values and personality.” The process can be demanding, but it can give students a chance to consider their identity and decide what is the most important story to share with admission officers.

However, not all students feel the same way, Eastlake student, Ineware Oyake (’25), states, “[the process is] mostly stressful, it’s a whole lot of work and I think managing my time doing this work is one of the hardest parts.” For students who participate in extracurricular activities in addition to school, it can feel impossible to even find time for writing their college essay. Also, the process isn’t always straightforward, as many students struggle to narrow down on an idea. “It feels like I’m taking a shovel and digging through my brain for ideas and topics. I feel like the process is like 40% thinking and 60% writing” continues Ineware Oyake (’25).

Another Eastlake student, Divya Kurma (’25), shares that, “The college application process isn’t too bad for me personally as I started early in the summer. I don’t feel too stressed right now and I am getting ready to submit most of my essays!” It seems like starting the applications early negates some of the pre-college stress.

With the demand of work and the amount of thought that goes into college essays, schools are responding differently to help support students through this process. Around the Sammamish area, two schools exemplify two courses of action. At Tesla STEM, seniors have incorporated essay writing into their first unit in English, with teachers meeting students to help them with peer review. Meanwhile, at Eastlake, students are spending more time working on their essays at home and relying on their friends for occasional peer review. This support from some schools can help students have a space to revise their essays and talk to other students about shared concerns and experiences.

From college essays to persistent schoolwork, seniors are under a lot of pressure. The process can be fulfilling and impactful, but it also causes a lot of stress as students simultaneously share parts of themselves with others and navigate their last year of high school. With all this in mind, it’s important to recognize the hard work that seniors are doing behind the scenes and show our support as they move through college applications.