“Ring! Ring! Ring!” I groan as I force myself to turn off my alarm and get out of bed. It takes me a moment to orient myself to my surroundings, but once I do, a feeling of unprecedented terror falls upon me. It was the day. It was THE day that would determine the course of my entire life. It was time to face the beast that I had been dreading confronting for the longest time. It was SAT day. Okay, I know this was all a bit dramatic, but it doesn’t even begin to describe the terror I felt the morning of my first SAT exam. I think we can all agree that standardized tests are extremely nerve-wracking and stressful. With the rise of test-optional policies, the question can be asked: are standardized tests really necessary?

There are very few statements in the English language that apply to everyone in the world. However, there is one: everyone wants to have friends. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about the most antisocial person in the world or some misanthrope destined to live their lives by themselves in the mountains. Everyone wants to have friends. This could even be just one friend; someone to confide in; someone to make you laugh when you’re feeling down. Everyone wants it, but how do we know when it’s enough? How do we know when we’ve crossed the boundary between friends and social connections?

Ever since I was little, people have asked me the question: what do you want to be when you grow up? When I was really young, I would say something completely random like, “I want to be a gymnast!” or “I want to be a dancer!” (Of course, these are normal dreams to have, it’s just that I have no dancing skills or flexibility, so these dreams were a bit out of my reach) As I grew up and matured, so did my responses. When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would say: “I want to be a doctor and save lives.” This was the response that ended up sticking throughout my life. I have always wanted to be a doctor and save lives. I have never really questioned this decision; it just seemed right. As I am nearing college application season however, this self-assuredness is slowly starting to decrease. I am having conflicting thoughts about whether to confine myself to a career I decided on when I was in middle school. I have been weighing the pros and cons, I have been consulting with trusted adults around me, I have done every single thing possible to make sure this is the right career for me. Now, you might ask, where has this thorough research gotten me? Am I sure of my career now? The answer is…no. In fact, I am more unsure right now than I have ever been in my entire life. It’s ironic isn’t it? At the one point in my life I am supposed to get it together and make a decision, I falter.

Social media, as we all know, has become a staple in all of our lives. For me, platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have been around since I was a little kid, and I know for a lot of the recent generations, platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have been very prevalent in their childhoods. This, on its own, may not seem like a problem, but combined with the effects it’s having on younger generations, it raises a serious red flag. 

I had a multitude of topics about which I planned to create my first blog post. I wanted to talk about parenting styles, teaching methods, social structures, and about a million other things. However, I finally landed on the perfect topic. This topic (which you are already aware of because of the title of this post) is one of the most stressful yet impactful aspects of high school today, and it is none other than college applications.