Returning from winter break, I expected to catch up with friends and throw snowballs on the quad. Instead, I found myself scheduling meetings, drafting lists, and speaking in acronyms — SATs, ACTs, ED, EA… My spring, like a New Year's resolution, marked a new beginning: the college admissions process. It is a season of hushed gasps and quiet exhalations. For me, it introduced the countdown until application deadlines. For others, this is when decisions arrive and reality sets in.
All Concord Academy students are talented in unique ways, whether in academics, arts, athletics, or something else entirely. For many, CA is only the beginning of their educational journey. According to our school's profile, 100 percent of Concord Academy graduates attend university, either immediately or after gaining work experience first. College is undoubtedly relevant to every student at CA. Our high average SAT score of 1382, according to CollegeBoard, contributes to a strong pattern of acceptances at selective colleges like Brown, Tufts, Harvard, and Yale.
This is partly due to the wide range of opportunities available. CA offers SAT testing every few months and preparatory classes for English and Math, though there is a fee involved. The school supports its students well while also making clear that many colleges no longer require SAT scores.
In 2005, CA made the bold decision to remove AP courses, which had existed for decades. The school doesn’t shy away from AP tests, and the AP English exam is required for juniors. Rather, CA's decision came from an inherent flaw of AP exams: AP courses follow a standardized national curriculum with specific prerequisites, which restricts flexibility and access. The College Board’s prioritization of breadth over depth in AP coursework clashed with CA's commitment to "love of learning."
CA's philosophy thus emphasizes intellectual exploration and the process of education rather than hitting quantifiable targets. The College Counseling Office's one-on-one advising allows counselors to connect personally with students and reduce stress. Students are encouraged to visit a variety of schools and pursue subjects of genuine interest; the college process is framed as an extension of a long-term personal journey.
However, a bubble surrounding CA doesn't change that the external world runs on metrics. One area where CA's philosophy meets friction is GPA; specifically, that it isn't revealed to students until deep into junior year. While the thinking may be to reduce pressure, this decision doesn't eliminate academic stress, but delays it. Students still think about their grades regardless of an official GPA, and misunderstandings about academic performance can turn to shock.
Learning our scores earlier would help eliminate this uncertainty. By the time juniors see their GPA, the possibility of transformation has narrowed since the metric is an average, after all. Early access is critical for students to understand and adjust their long-term performance. Similarly, students should be encouraged to think about summer activities like programs or internships sooner. Though there is more stress in the short term, early planning creates real depth in an application, while waiting only teaches students how to game the system.
Ultimately, there is no "right" approach to the college process; stress is inevitable either way. Decisions will arrive whether we dread them, run from them, or accept them. Some of us even make art from them. In Luke Schumacher's staged reading Semi-Formal, performed at this year's What’s On Your Mind showcase, anxiety around college is embodied by two characters: one who has no expectation or hope for college, and another who was accepted to an Ivy League school but is exhausted by the "grind" and wants to let go. Each envies the other, mistaking distance for freedom. This play reveals a fundamental, often forgotten truth: applications are a shared struggle within our community. Our culture around the college process should not divide us but rather bind us through common uncertainty. We should live by compassion for each other, not by comparison.