A new school year is underway, with a brand new senior class, and this means that there is a looming wave of college applications that need to be filled out. Conner Kuntz and Aliyah Ellison, two seniors in the class of 2025, have begun the long application process, hoping to determine where they will spend the next several years in their life.
Concerning whether Kuntz found it easy to fill out the applications, he stated, “Yes, it’s just been tedious and it has taken a little longer than I initially expected.” Ellison added, “For me, it depends on what the scholarship is for. Some no-essay scholarships I’ve completed in under 10 minutes! But there [are] others that require multiple essays and letters of recommendation on top of additional questions to answer that have taken me almost a month to complete.”
Ellison spoke on what she thought was the most efficient way to finish her application, stating, “I act like my applications are a homework assignment that I need to have done by a certain date. This has caused me to manage my time smartly to complete my applications efficiently.” Kuntz added, “The most efficient way for me is to set aside some time and grind them out.”
Resources are super important when it comes to applications. Ellison agreed, saying, “I have used all my activities from school, church, and the community, for my scholarships. Being involved in multiple activities has helped me complete my applications to the best of my ability, and hope to be selected for the scholarship!” Kuntz said, “My mom works at U of I and she has been super helpful. She knows what the college expects [,] so it’s very helpful.”
Finally Ellison speaks on the process of obtaining letters of recommendation explaining, “For a lot of scholarships, you give the email of who you want to write your letter of recommendation, and then your recommender just replies to that. Other times[,] I have to ask them specifically, and then attach a copy of the letter to the scholarship website. For the most part it is pretty easy to get letters of recommendation, but I will mention that sometimes the scholarship websites are a bit confusing.”
Different colleges have a variety of timelines for applications, so seniors are reminded to stay ahead of their applications and get them in on time.
Eli Craft, Staff Writer
The Sage Informer 
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