Fear. It’s the dominant sensation on the minds of all seniors at this time of year. Not because they can’t remember the fourth economic one-liner or because they think they failed their AP Lang midterms, but because of the social pressure that seems to ooze out of every corner of the school. 

Logically, it should appear that because early packets for college applications have already been turned in, seniors would feel more relaxed. But the looming due date for submission just confirms that the excuse “I’m not really sure where I’m applying early” is no longer sufficient. 

All the secrecy surrounding the college-application process is over-hyped and unwarranted. Why should it matter if she applies to Brown early or if he wants Carnegie Mellon? People shouldn’t be gossipping about such drastic and personal life decisions (and, continuing along that vein, people shouldn’t be gossipping much at all). 

Here’s a tip: If you’re frank and open about where you’re applying, it takes power away from the people who might try to judge you. There’s no shame in applying to “reach” schools, and there’s no point keeping your “targets” and “safeties” a secret from your peers. 

Believe it or not, they aren’t your competition. They’re your friends. Instead of refusing to acknowledge the subject or making snide comments, let’s try supporting and guiding each other through the process.

And along those lines, remember that no one likes the sneaky little brown-noser with the hidden agenda. Unless you are particularly liberal with your own college decisions, you should not be pestering fellow seniors about where they are applying. It’s common courtesy not to ask for someone’s weight—the same politeness should be extended with respect to applications. Some feel like if they say it out loud, they might jinx it. 

Others simply aren’t comfortable sharing such personal goals with anyone. Students have a right to keep their decisions private. Instead of speculating whether that straight-A student with stellar extracurriculars will get Harvard early or not, let’s worry about our own applications. 

Perhaps more importantly, don’t judge your chances for admission based on other students’ outcomes. Every college has a unique set of standards for every individual applicant. Even if two students are identical on paper, their essays and involvement in extracurriculars will distinguish them, in addition to a host of external, uncontrollable factors. It’s scary, but it’s true.

Although rejection may seem like the epitome of all evils right now, keep in mind that more than half the students applying early get rejected. For example, last year 74 students applied to Stanford University from Saratoga High, and only four were ultimately admitted. As much as we all want to avoid rejection, It’s going to happen to all of us, whether it’s now or later. Even more importantly, rejection isn’t the end of the world. Those 70 seniors who didn’t get into Stanford will still end up with stellar educations and numerous opportunities. 

The bottom line is that we will all be accepted somewhere next spring or earlier, and it will likely be a pretty good fit. In the meantime, we should all just relax.