Current high school seniors are experiencing high levels of stress due to the pressure of choosing which college they will attend after high school. High school seniors today are not having as much fun as previous generations. According to Scott Pelley, compared to high school seniors in 1987, there is a 20% difference on how often students spend time with their friends throughout the week. Recently, high school has become all about getting into the best college possible due to grades and scholarship opportunities. Seniors have also started to take more challenging classes in hopes of impressing potential colleges even more. Teenagers are all about spending time with their friends and making memories. The fact that the number of students spending time with their friends throughout the week has decreased is a clear indicator of the impact felt from the stress of trying to choose a college. Senior year is supposed to be the easy and fun year, but because of the enormous amount of stress felt due to the deciding factors and final decision that sets up a student’s whole future, the easy and fun parts do not come until later.

     Whether students will admit to it or not, parents are a major factor when it comes to deciding on a college. If someone’s parents dislike a college, their son or daughter is less likely to choose that school. This may be due to the fact that a student would feel guilty having their parents pay tuition at a school they do not think is the best fit. Parents unknowingly add to the stress of choosing a college, because many students are forced to question if the way they feel about a school is worth making their parents disappointed or unhappy. The goal is to ultimately choose a school that makes both the student and the parent(s) happy. Of course students want their parents’ opinions, but they also want them to back off (Cohen). College represents growth, and students want the chance to make a life-changing decision without their parents questioning every move they make. When asked about their levels of stress, 40% of these seniors stated they were experiencing a great deal of stress; whereas, 20% said they were experiencing more stress than they thought possible (Cohen).

     It has been found that students who excel academically in high school are more likely to choose a college based on academics rather than prestige or location (Tonn). Knowing a college is strong in certain areas of study that a student is interested in makes them more likely to want to continue their education there, because it will give them a better set up for the future. These days everyone cares about other people’s opinions and college is no exception. Even more stress is felt by seniors because they are also worried about the way they will be perceived by other students and even adults who already have their own view of a certain school.

     Overall, the stress level of seniors is very high due to a multitude of reasons, all of which lead back to making a decision on where to attend college:  Location, financial burden, reputation, fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, excelling in school, etc. These are all factors that pile up to create the stressful atmosphere of senior year. Choosing a college affects major aspects of a student’s everyday life. Although there are several reasons students should not stress about applying to and deciding on a college, it is near impossible to turn off a feeling. Students have every right to feel stressed when it comes to college, and the sooner people accept that, the better it will be for everyone. It is apparent that no matter how hard students try, the task of choosing a college will always be the main stressor that takes away from the easy aspects of senior year.