“So, what are your plans for next year”; the dreaded question posed to seniors at Blanchet and high schoolers across the nation.

College application season is upon us. With applications for some universities due as early as the beginning of next month, members of the class of 2017 scramble to complete all the applications requirements.

“Most of the apps I have done begin with a questionnaire that takes around an hour,” said senior Marcus Lewis. “And that’s before the essay and other writing.”

While a whole laundry list of requirements seems difficult enough, it is intensified by the sheer number of schools students apply to. According to Collegeboard.com, the average high school senior applies to five schools; however, some students at Blanchet find themselves going far beyond that number.

“I’m applying to nine schools,” said senior Edie O’Connor. “I find myself having to carve out blocks of time on the weekends just to get it done.”

A common adage thrown around at Blanchet is that college apps are like adding an additional class to a senior’s already crowded load. While a popular thought is that junior year is the most challenging, senior year poses its own troubles.

Schools frown upon students who take a light slate of classes senior year, leading some students to take a more even rigorous curriculum than the previous year.

“My schedule is definitely more difficult this year,” said senior Cece O’Leary. “I’m taking four APs that assign a lot of homework, meaning there’s less time for college apps.”

Academics are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to parts of a student’s life affected by college applications. Students find that they have less free time, as they spend a copious amount of hours filling out college apps on the weekend.

“College apps definitely constrict my free time, especially the early action deadline,” said senior Bella Brown. “With the deadline being so early in the school year, I have to work on it on my weekends.”

With the importance and hours of work that piggyback onto the college application season, the first month of senior year has certainly been a busy one for the class of 2017. The good news is, they only have eight more to go.