Athenian Seniors Apply to Record Number of Colleges

Each fall, Athenian 12th-graders lament the stress and workload of college applications—an undertaking that has grown considerably over the last five years, according to data from the college counseling office. From the class of 2018 to the class of 2023, the average number of applications has increased by 42%, a change that might account for some of the class of 2024’s nervousness.

The total number of applications filed has increased nearly every year between 2018 and 2023; the one dip (between the class of 2020 and the class of 2021) is most likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which began right after the class of 2020 had finished applying and affected the number of colleges that the class of 2021 was able to visit.

The average number of applications filed per student tells a similar story. Athenian students applied to the fewest number of schools in 2021, the year after the pandemic began, but in the two years following, applications hit record highs—increasing by around 20% in 2022 and another 20% in 2023. 

This data reflects the uncertainty and anxiety among students surrounding college admissions. According to 12th-grader Quynh-Anh Nguyen, “there is a very heightened level of stress, especially compared to my other friends who go to academically rigorous schools but aren’t in a private school. Because we’re in California, it’s hard to stand out when there are so many brilliant people. At a certain point you’re not competing to stand out, you’re competing to be seen.” 

For 12th-grader Ben Landrum, a lot of stress came from the unpredictability of the process. “You can be ridiculously good, or do some wild and out-there thing, and it might never matter—sometimes there’s nothing you could have ever done to get in,” said Ben. 

Despite the stress of applying to college, some students said they wished Athenian focused more on college admissions. 11th-grader Yula Yu applied to Athenian because she wanted an academically rigorous school. “I thought [Athenian] had more of an academic stance. But after I came here I realized that [Athenian] doesn’t prioritize getting into prestigious colleges that much. I hoped that we would have more help getting into a good college,” said Yula. 

Other students also mentioned these so-called “good” colleges—an exclusive group of universities often determined by name recognition and rankings to which many students apply. 12th-grader Neal Chohan said rankings and prestige “totally matter. Although they might not be 100% valid, they do factor into how much a college can do for you and how much you can positively change yourself and the world.” 

Many students also felt that the high cost of Athenian added to the pressure to get into a good college. This pressure might explain the high number of applications on average—it’s a strategy popularized online which is commonly referred to as “shotgunning,” in which applicants apply to as many top colleges as they can in hopes of getting into one. Ben noted that “there’s a pressure to get into a lot of colleges so you can look cool or smart.”

Regarding the high cost of boarding at Athenian, Yula said, “Because [boarding students] have spent so much money at Athenian, their main concern is getting into a college with name recognition.” Also referring to the price of an Athenian education, Quynh-Anh said, “It’s an additional source of stress: I have to get into college and make my four years here worth it.”

Though students differ on the exact extent to which college has impacted their decisions in high school, all students interviewed agreed that it was a factor in their decisions and the decisions of others. “There’s a lot of, ‘hey you should join this club because if you sign up you can say you’ve dedicated X amount of hours to it, which makes you look committed and productive’ or ‘join this class because it’s an advanced class that a lot of people don’t do, so it looks really cool,’” said Ben. Yula added, “my friends have started lots of clubs and competitions just to get into college, and I know this because they talk about wanting to be competitive.”

Despite the stress of applying to so many colleges, most students still believed the high quantity was worth it. Quynh-Anh said, “Why not shoot for the stars? People around me told me not to apply, but I’d rather apply and get rejected because now I can say at least I tried.”