On Wednesday, Oct. 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., seniors gathered at the student union for “Mission Submission,” an event dedicated to helping them apply to college, write their application essays, and celebrate every step of the application process.
While sophomores and juniors took the PSAT, seniors worked on college applications at any time during the school day and were given the liberty to ask any further questions they had. On normally scheduled school days, seniors must schedule an appointment with their college counselors; however, during “Mission Submission,” they can meet with them at any time.
“‘Mission Submission’ is at the perfect time because most students have already submitted an [early action] application by the Oct. 15 deadline [many colleges have], so we guided and went into detail about everything that happens after applications, like with portals, and then we also prepare them for the Nov. 1 deadline [other colleges have for early action applications] that’s two weeks from now,” college counselor Connie Ernsberger said.
The event was divided into four sections, held in four different locations: the main level of the student union, the library, the Moon and Sun rooms, and the Cloud room. On the main level of the student union, students officially applied to colleges. In the library, students reviewed their Common Applications with counselors. In the moon and sun rooms, seniors worked on their student portals for colleges. And in the cloud room, seniors worked on essay writing with essay coach David Tran.
“I was able to work a lot with Mr. Tran and actually submit [my applications] to some of my colleges, so I got a lot done, and I’m happy we had a day off to just do college stuff because I was stressed, but this definitely alleviated it,” senior Isabella Menjivar said.
Mission Submission gives students time, space, and support from college counselors to work on their applications for schools for the upcoming Nov. 1 early action deadline, and also work on whatever application preparation is remaining for schools like the University of Georgia, Florida State University, and the University of Texas- all of which had Oct. 15 deadlines.
Throughout the day, school counselors were available to help students review applications, polish personal statements, and answer any last-minute questions. For every application submitted, a counselor rang a bell, which elicited cheers from the room.
“It was a really positive environment and made the whole stressful experience very exciting, and we had so much support from faculty. We didn’t just have the [college] counselors; we also had the mental health counselors, and [essay coaches] Mr. Tran and Mr. Williams to help us out with our writing,” senior Eva Hernandez Vidal said.
From essay editing to Common Application troubleshooting, students were encouraged to stay and work through each stage of the process. Some arrived with nearly-finished applications, while others used the time to start drafting their essays.
With the Oct. 1 early action deadlines now behind them, many seniors are looking ahead to the Nov. 1 and Nov. 3 deadlines, and school counselors plan to continue offering support through workshops, one-on-one meetings, and more writing help.
