Image Courtesy of Desiree Soto

The only thing on seniors’ minds at Segerstrom is applying to colleges. These seniors enjoy working together on applications during lunch. Dimitri Sydoruk (Left), Dev Vasu (Top right), Nikolai Caro (Middle Left).

With all of the applications submitted for the 2024 fall semester of college, many seniors–including those at Segerstrom High School–have experienced tremendous stress. Most of them have struggled under the pressure of applications and continuing to do well in school.

The class of 2024 has been the class deprived of a proper “high school experience.” The grueling freshman year that so many generations before have had, they haven’t. The now-seniors entered high school online, staring at a screen for hours. Now that it’s their final year, they are applying to colleges and venturing into the unknown of adulthood. While their year had an unprecedented start, the class of 2024 will undoubtedly end strong. There have been record highs of college applications all over the country–most notably UCs. When asked which colleges they were applying to, most Segerstrom Students responded with Cal States and UCs. This can be attributed to living situations, finances, or simplicity.

The rise in first-generation college student applications has also been astonishing. The availability of student fee waivers increased the ability to apply for colleges–especially for students who struggle financially. When looking at the statistics, most Segerstrom students are going to be first-generation college students in the fall.

Of all racial backgrounds, Latinos and Mexican-Americans have led the application rates. As stated by the Los Angeles Times, “Latinos were the largest group of admitted California first-year students at 38%, followed by Asians at 34%, white applicants at 19% and Black applicants at 5%. American Indians made up 1% of admitted students but grew with significant gains at UCLA, UC Santa Cruz, and UC Santa Barbara.” These standard “minority” groups have led the race for applications–flipping the table from generations ago.

This shift in diversity may also be credited to technological advancements compared to years ago. The simplicity of applying to colleges now is what drives many teenagers. CNBC News states, “Many experts attribute the massive number of applications to online application portals such as the Common Application, which make it easier for students to apply to several institutions at once.” The Common App is a simple application format for students to apply to private colleges.

Similarly, one reason the UC system receives so many applications is simple: students can apply to all nine universities with one application. With just a few hours, their website is the easiest way to apply for UCs. Cal State uses this same format by allowing its students to apply to all colleges without the need for an essay. Although the Cal States and UCs require academic and personal information, the UCs require four personal insight questions/essays. Both of these colleges yield simplicity that attracts students into applying. 

In all, the rates of applications–notably in minority groups or at Segerstrom–are astonishing and yield hope for the future. This new generation of students is allowed to apply and appreciate the simplicity that attracts many.