By Christine Kim

The season of college applications is upon us once again, and the class of 2023 is surely feeling the weight of it all. The seemingly endless steps, forms, and the essays have created a dark cloud over our heads, and many of us cannot wait for this fall semester to be over. However, it is only the first month of school, and classes have just started. 

So one can imagine our dismay during the Capstone assembly held just last Friday that we have yet another major commitment to accomplish this fall. You can picture the tired looks when we were reminded of our tasks, especially the first reflective essay due at the end of September. According to the administration and other members of staff involved in Capstone, we are not behind, but we do have quite a lot of work to do and no one is waiting for us. 

Well, colleges are not waiting for us, either. 

We students do realize that we are obligated to complete our Capstone projects, as it is now a state graduation requirement. I do believe, however, that the administration should be kinder to us. Many students have early decision applications due in early November, and our regular decision applications are due in January, which is when our final projects are due. Along with that, we have rigorous courses and extracurricular activities that we consider extremely important to our last year of high school. Students simply are not able to make Capstone their main focus. 

To give an idea of just how much work Capstone requires, everyone must complete five reflective essays. Those who are working on personal interest or community action projects must dedicate at least ten hours to receive credit. On top of that, all students must prepare an oral presentation or report to share their projects or research papers. 

Students are already struggling to balance their tasks, and we all know that college applications require a great amount of time. Not only that, but the college essays need to be of the best quality. With all of this work due in such a short period, it cannot even be guaranteed that our Capstone projects will meet the expectations presented to us. 

I do hope that the administration and staff involved in Capstone will recognize the burdens the senior class has to carry, and that in some way or another, there will be work done to lessen our stress.