essay about senior year

Personal Narrative: My Senior Year Essay

Throughout high school, I’ve always heard that senior year would be the easiest, most fun year- the year when you could just lay back and enjoy yourself. Unfortunately, and though | know it is mostly by my own doing, I have not found it to be my easiest year at all. College, senior project, all on top of four AP classes have made senior year my most stressful yet. Though at this point I think the worst is over, it certainly has been one crazy autumn. Over that summer, I had planned on alleviating some of the burden of senior year by completing my college applications and senior project.

However, I spent most of the summer working at an overnight summer camp, cutting short the time I had to work on any of this. On my off time, I didn’t want to spend it locked indoors, writing essays for college and putting together a senior project, and so I justified spending most of my free time with my friends by telling myself this will probably be the last summer where we are all together, and I should make the most of it. Any time I felt the smallest inkling of motivation strike, I spent it on my summer reading assignments.

While this made for an enjoyable summer, it was probably the best summer I have had so far in high school, it left me woefully unprepared for the autumn to come. Thave always taken the most honors classes that would fit in my schedule, and am well aware of the workload involved. Since Thad all of my core classes my last semester of junior year, it would be quite similar to what I would be experiencing my first semester of senior year. Though still anxious, I went into senior year not expecting all that earth-shattering of a workload.

I would have been right had I taken into account senior project and college applications. On their own, my classes presented not much of an increase from junior year as far as work and stress, however; compiled with my other two major obligations, and suddenly I found a dramatic shift in my stress levels. I have never been one to be overwhelmed by school work, but often times when I got home I would feel paralysed by all that I had to do. An endless list would always run through my head of homework assignments, tests to study for, application essays, and the nagging itch of senior project.

Whenever I found a moment to relax, I would always be thinking, “What could I be doing instead? ” My mind could always come up with a good long list of obligations I was shirking, or better things I could be doing. While tennis season was going on, I had a decent excuse to be behind on senior project or my common application. Those things were due months from now, I told myself, and I would have plenty of time to complete them once the season was over.

With the end of tennis season, though, I found myself facing deadlines coming up with alarming speed, especially since I was applying early decision to Brown. Though in the past Thave always parceled out work so I wouldn’t end up doing it all at once, I found myself doing the exact opposite when it came to college applications. I would take a day and do all of my supplementary essays, another weekend to do my common app essay, and another to edit everything, rather than taking it in small chunks.

Though yes, I did get it done in time to submit it early decision, I wish I had been done farther from the deadline so I would not be stressed thinking about it while doing nothing. The same thought process applied to my senior project. I waited until the last minute to complete all of it, and though I finished it and it was of reasonable quality, I still wished I had saved myself the stress of always having it in the back of my mind by doing it earlier. In the way, I found myself in the predicament of Reverend Dimmesdale of The Scarlet Letter- my stress was selfcreated, and easily rectified.

There was nothing stopping me from taking a weekend in the summer or during tennis season to do my senior project or college application and getting it over with, but I instead put them off with weak excuses and let myself suffer. Despite all the stress incurred this autumn, I still was able to find many moments of joy and fulfillment. I went to homecoming with a large group of friends, and had an absolute blast. With most of us being able to drive, I could spontaneously hang out or go to lunch with friends to unwind.

Spirit Day, in spite of all the chaos in the weeks leading up to it, was incredibly fun and made me truly feel like a senior, especially when crowds of underclassmen would part ways seeing me stride down the hall in all black. I have more freedom than ever, especially now that I am no longer going over to my dad’s house certain weeknights and every other weekend. These moments of fun and freedom have balanced out the hecticness of senior year, and keep me grounded as to what this year should really be about.

Though this autumn has seen me almost melt down over the stress of it, I have come out the better for it. Now that my applications are done and my product for senior project complete, I feel a huge lightness that allows me to enjoy the remaining weeks of autumn without obsessing and feeling guilty that I should be working. It seems strange, but it will be a nice feeling to only have to worry about taking four AP classes. Hopefully, the end of this autumn will be harbinger to better times this senior year.

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Senior Year — The Road to Graduation

Vicki nelson.

Do you remember your student’s senior year of high school? The angst over applications and essays, and the pressure around what felt like the most important decision in your student’s life so far? Even after the final decision was made, your student (and you) may have worried about the transition to college life (classes, roommates, the social life) that lay ahead.

Well, it’s back. Your college senior is in the midst of another year of anxiety. This time it’s about completing major course work and possibly a thesis, conducting a job search or applying to graduate school, transcripts and references, interviews and resumés, and — again — what feels like the most important decision in your student’s life so far: What to do next.

One big difference this time is that your college student is handling this on their own. But they may still reach out to you for advice or just a listening ear. According to Barbara Hofer, a Middlebury College psychology professor and co-author of The iConnected Parent , communication between students and their parents does not drop off during senior year, and may even increase.

Is there anything you can do to ease the stress?

A certain amount of emotional upheaval during senior year is inevitable, but there are definitely steps you and your student can take that should alleviate stress for your student and help them prepare for graduation. Here are four areas to think about.

1. Make the Most of the Present

Begin by reminding your student that, though graduation does loom, they should still be enjoying college. Focusing single-mindedly on the next chapter may mean missing opportunities now . Encourage them to:

• Relish their experiences this year. Find ways to give back to others. Seek a leadership position — make their mark on campus.
• Dig deep into their major. They can talk to faculty members and find opportunities for independent study or research. Take advantage of working side-by-side with outstanding professors or mentors. (This may already be happening if your student is doing a thesis or capstone project.)
• Combat “school fatigue” by finding new opportunities. Do an internship or service project; join a new club or team; during their final semester, take a class in a department they’ve never experienced.

2. Avoid Unpleasant Surprises

While your student makes the most of their remaining time in college, they need to be sure they’re on track to finish at the end of the year. Are these practical tasks on their to-do list?

• Look carefully at the college’s requirements for graduation. Responsibility for meeting these lies with the student, not the school. Your student should check requirements for number of credits, all-college or general education courses, distribution and major requirements, capstone experiences, required minimum GPA.
• Request a degree audit if it's not automatically provided. Spring semester will be the opportunity to fill any gaps that may exist.
• Find out if there's any necessary paperwork for graduation. Some schools require an “Intent to Graduate” form or other notification. Avoid missing important deadlines!
• Stay engaged. Senioritis can strike in college as well as high school. This is not the time to kick back. They need to finish strong.

Is your student’s account in good order? Remind them to log in and, if needed, call or drop by the Bursar or Student Accounts office. Unpaid fees can hold up your student’s diploma.

3. Prepare for What's Next

While students savor senior year and complete degree requirements, they also need to prepare for whatever is next.

• If your student is planning on graduate school (whether right after college or further down the road), it's time to take graduate exams. They might not want the extra studying on top of all their other academic responsibilities, but postponing may mean delayed acceptance. This is also a good time to learn about any pre-requisite courses that they could take in the spring to get a head start.
• Hopefully they've already established a relationship with the staff and resources of their campus career office but it is never too late.
• Your student can be job-search ready by taking time to update their resumé, conduct informational interviews or mock interviews, ask for reference letters when faculty may have a bit more time to be thoughtful, shop for interview-appropriate clothes, and check all social media to make sure that whatever an employer finds there is the image that your student wants to present.
• There's still time to line up a spring internship opportunity — or maybe even a couple of micro-internships . More and more employers expect students to have completed an internship or two, and a great internship may turn into a job offer.
• Join a professional organization related to their intended profession. They’ll be able to find out more about the profession, follow current trends in the field, and network. Many organizations also have job boards available only to members.
• Take advantage of any and all career-related opportunities on campus: workshops, career-related speakers, career fairs, etc.

4. Parents Have a Role, Too!

Experiencing the best of senior year, making sure they’re ready to finish, and starting the job search are your student’s responsibilities. But parenting is never over.

There are some things that you can do to make sure both you and your student are ready for graduation.

• On the practical side, make hotel reservations for Commencement if you’ll be staying overnight. Rooms often fill a year or more in advance for big events such as this.
• Seek a balance between keeping your student moving forward and not adding additional pressure during a stressful year. Know when to be present and when to stay out of the way.
• Engage your student in some life discussions. (These are good conversations for Thanksgiving and winter break.) Do they know how to estimate their expected post-graduate living expenses, create a budget, find necessary insurance, consider benefits in a job offer, plan for retirement, and make a debt repayment plan?
• Ask about their hopes, dreams, and goals. Listen a lot. And then help your student think about how to create an action plan to turn those hopes and dreams into reality.

For many students, senior year feels like coming to the edge of a cliff and taking a leap into the unknown. It can be paralyzing. As parents, we may need to gently help our students find ways to navigate this final year so they are poised and ready to make that leap with confidence and joy.

Students who get a solid start in the fall and winter will have a year with a plan — and with a lot less anxiety.

It’s the best early graduation gift you can give to your college senior.

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The senior essay.

The Senior Essay Handbook

Requirements and Guidelines for the Senior Essay

In the English Department, as in other departments, the Senior Essay consists of an extended research and writing project (critical, not creative) undertaken with the guidance of a faculty advisor. The Senior Essay is not a requirement for completing the English major, nor is it required for receiving distinction in the major. It does, however, offer a satisfying way to fulfill one semester of the senior requirement. Writing an essay provides an opportunity for those who are eager to pursue a special interest, who like to write long papers, and who work well independently. Be warned that it entails inexorable deadlines and exacting effort; it can be thrilling to write a senior essay, but only if you are committed to the project. Procrastination has repeatedly proved a grave mistake. Given an essay of this magnitude, you cannot leave reading, writing, and ruminating until the last minute. If you have any doubts, take a Senior Seminar.

In addition to the prospectus and final draft, you will be asked to hand in, at the end of four weeks, five to ten pages of writing or, if appropriate, an annotated bibliography so that you, your advisor, and the department will know how your work is proceeding relatively early in the term.  By the end of the seventh week, an extended piece of writing should be submitted.  And by the end of the tenth week, a rough draft is due (to ensure the essay will be carefully thought through and receives feedback from your advisor before you revise).

You will be expected to consult frequently with your advisor throughout the semester, both about your research and about the substance of your developing argument; we recommend at least four meetings, with bi-weekly meetings as the norm. Typically, finished senior essays range from 30-40 pages. Some drafts are considerably longer (40-50 pages) and require cutting as well as revising; other drafts are shorter (25-30 pages) and require expansion as well as revision of the argument.

Specific requirements are as follows:

1. In the term before you intend to write your essay (see I mportant Dates ), you must hand in to the DUS office a completed proposal form for ENGL 490 or 491 and a prospectus, which includes the following information:

(a) a description of your topic (approximately 2 pages)

(b) a bibliography of the reading and research, both primary and secondary, you intend to undertake (If part of your project will consist in looking for sources, you must still indicate subjects that you will pursue in your research.)

(c) a list of the introductory and advanced courses you have taken that have prepared you to do independent work on your topic

(d) a schedule of meetings with your advisor

(e) your advisor’s signature

If you intend to pursue a two-semester essay (not commonly done, but a possibility for substantial research projects), please conceptualize your project in two parts so that you can submit an essay for evaluation at the end of the fall semester.

Within two weeks after you submit your prospectus, you will receive an email from the senior essay committee, via the Registrar in the DUS’s office, granting approval or asking for clarification. Approval is not automatic, and the Senior Essay committee may stipulate revisions to the project as a condition of approval.

2. By the end of Week 4 of classes, you must hand in five to ten pages of writing, along with an annotated list of at least two secondary sources relevant to your essay;  or , if the project requires a substantial amount of research, an annotated bibliography of the works you have consulted together with an outline of the reading you have still to do. You may decide, in consultation with your advisor, which of these options is the more appropriate for you. This work should be turned in to your advisor.

3. By the end of Week 7 of classes, you must hand in ten to twelve pages of writing (possibly inclusive of your earlier five pages) and, as part of that writing or separately, a brief discussion of your project’s engagement with one or more secondary sources.  This work should be turned in to your advisor.

4. By the end of Week 10, you must hand in a full or almost full draft to your advisor: consult your advisor for details.

Failure to submit the draft on time or the preliminary work described above may affect the final grade received for the essay.

5. The final essay is due by noon on the last day of classes in the fall term and on the Friday before the last day of classes in the spring term (see  I mportant Dates ); it should include a bibliography of works consulted. Submit the essay to the DUS office electronically (pdf preferred) by emailing it to the departmental registrar.

Your essay will be read, graded, and commented upon both by your advisor and by a second reader chosen by the Senior Essay Committee. The two readers’ reports, will be available from the DUS office two to three weeks after you hand in the final draft. The department will keep a copy on file so that students in the future can see what kinds of projects have been undertaken.

• Senior Essay

The senior essay for economics majors is optional. However, the senior essay is required for consideration for Distinction in the Major. Most students who write a senior essay find it immensely rewarding and consider it one of their best experiences at Yale.

Senior essays are an opportunity for students to engage in independent, original economic research. Essays are not reviews of the literature, rather they are an examination of an hypothesis using the tools of economics. In particular, the essay must contain original research and/or analysis. They can be theoretical, empirical or computational. The senior essays that receive A’s and are awarded prizes are typically those that use economics tools (and, where appropriate, data) to offer fresh insights on questions. Topics are as diverse as recording and analyzing the behavior of black jack players, the effect of charter schools on student performance, the effect of China’s development on trade, the effect of the Fed on the stock market…. Examples of past essays are available on the department website .

See below for a guide written by thesis writers in the class of 2023.

There are no page requirements or formatting requirements for senior essays in economics. Advice regarding bibliographies, graphs, etc. should be given by your advisor. Generally, essays run about 30 pages.

Senior essay writers may receive a maximum of $500 for legitimate research expenses, provided the student has made a good-faith effort to obtain funding from Yale College. There are many funding opportunities available for research which can be found here: https://funding.yale.edu/find-funding/class-year#toc2 . Funding requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and must be approved by the DUS and Chair.

NOTE: Students must take two econometrics courses (or ECON 135 plus one econometrics course) in order to write a senior essay. The second econometrics course can be taken Cr/D/F for the purposes of the senior essay (but in this case it will not count toward the major requirements). The second econometrics course can be taken in the fall of senior year.

• Undergraduate Program
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• Women in Economics

Senior essays can be 1-term or 2-term essays. The difference between a 1-term and a 2-term essay is that the 2-term essay is broader in scope and/or goes in greater depth. Most economics majors do 2-term essays.

Senior essays can be done in one of several ways:

1-Term Essays

• Enroll in Econ 491a in the fall of your senior year.
• Expand a term paper from a fall-term seminar in your senior year ( depends on availability of seminar instructor )
• Please note that a 1-term essay cannot be done in the spring term of your senior year.

2-Term Essays

• Enroll in Econ 491a and Econ 492b
• Expand a term paper from a fall-term seminar in your senior year and enroll in Econ 492b ( depends on availability of seminar instructor for both semesters )

For the class of 2024

• Enroll in Econ 491a ( not necessary if you are doing a senior essay out of a fall seminar)
• Choose an advisor and a topic. You should refer to the Potential Advisors webpage for help finding an advisor who is available and is appropriate for your topic. If you have difficulty finding an advisor, see the ECON 491 instructor or the DUS for suggestions. There are many economics faculty members who may be ideal advisors for your topic.  Students may also choose a campus economist from outside of the department. (Permission of the DUS required to choose a non-economist adviser.) In order to do an essay out of a fall seminar, you need the seminar professor to agree to be your advisor (for both semesters in the case of a 2-term essay).
• Meet with your advisor regularly. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that these regular meetings occur.
• Submit a “Senior Essay Prospectus” on or before Monday, October 2, 2023 by 4:30 pm. The prospectus must be signed by your advisor. All students planning to write a senior essay must hand in a prospectus at this time. Failure to do so results in your not being permitted to write an essay. A late prospectus will not be accepted without a Dean’s note.
• Students enrolled in a 2-term essay must submit a written progress report to their advisor on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. For essays involving substantial data collection and statistical analysis, a description of the research question and the data that has been gathered for analysis may be appropriate. For others, a portion of the essay itself or a detailed outline describing the thesis question, existing literature, and planned method of analysis is suitable. Based on this report, your advisor will be asked to give you a temporary grade of satisfactory or not satisfactory for the fall term. This temporary grade will be replaced by the final grade on your senior essay in April.
• You are allowed to switch advisor, with DUS permission, but no later than the progress report due date . In this case you need to submit a new prospectus form signed by the new advisor by the progress report due date .
• A student who wishes to change a 1-term essay to a 2-term essay must get permission from the advisor and the DUS prior to the Thanksgiving break. To convert, a student must have made satisfactory progress on the essay by that time. No conversions will be allowed after Thanksgiving.
• 1-term senior essays are due to your advisor on Wednesday, December 6, 2023 by 4:30 pm. For students doing a 1-term essay by enrolling in Econ 491a, the advisor will evaluate and grade the paper, which will be your grade for the course. For students doing a 1-term essay out of a seminar, the advisor will evaluate and grade the paper, but the essay grade will not appear on your transcript. The grade and evaluation will be used for determination of distinction and departmental prizes. A final version of the 1-term senior essay must be submitted on or before Wednesday, April 3, 2024 by 4:30 pm via email to Dan Rehberg, Interim Undergraduate Registrar, at [email protected] for grading by the outside anonymous reader. Late essays will not be accepted without a Dean’s Extension. (Note: students doing the 1-term essay may continue to make additional revisions beyond the fall term before the April due date. Please bear in mind, however, that advisors of 1-term essays may have other commitments and are not obligated to advise you beyond the fall term.)

Spring 2024

• For students doing 2-term essays, enroll in Econ 492b.
• 2-term senior essays must be submitted on or before Wednesday, April 3, 2024 at 4:30 pm via email to Dan Rehberg, Interim Undergraduate Registrar, at [email protected] . Late essays will not be accepted without a Dean’s Extension.
• Advisor’s Reports with grades and comments and Reader’s Reports with grades and comments are usually available by the end of reading week in the Economics Undergraduate Registrar’s Office.

Hi Juniors, If you are reading this guide, this means (we hope) that you’re considering writing a senior essay in economics! Writing an economics thesis is an incredibly fulfilling experience, and we hope that if you feel prepared, you write one! To help clarify the process and give advice, the Economics Peer Mentors from the 2022-2023 academic year have made an updated version of this guide from the Class of 2021 that was created by Alya Ahmed and Lara Varela Gajewski, with responses from the Class of 2023.

Link to Class of 2023 Guide

Best of luck, Sarah Moon ‘23, Economics & Mathematics Ayumi Sudo ‘23, Economics

Some Takeaways: 

Most seniors, including all seniors that responded to our survey, wrote a two-term thesis. 

Seniors wrote essays on topics in:

• Labor economics
• Macroeconomics
• Econometrics
• Behavioral economics
• Public economics 
• Environmental economics
• ...and more 

Advisors were chosen from: 

• Herb Scarf RA and Tobin RA positions
• Classes taken in junior year or in the fall semester senior seminars
• Recommended by other professors/ECON 491 TA's
• Cold emailing

Econ thesis advisors are from:

• Yale Economics Department
• Yale School of Management 
• Yale School of Environment
• ...and more

Topics were inspired by: 

• Personal interests 
• Previously taken classes
• Summer research work
• Interesting data sets

Economics 491 counts as a 400 level, senior requirement course. Economics 492 counts as an elective.

Students writing a one-semester essay out of Economics 491 will receive a letter grade at the end of the fall semester based on the quality of their senior thesis. Students writing a one-semester essay out of a senior seminar will only receive a grade for the seminar on their transcript. They will not see their senior essay grade on their transcript, but it will be recorded by the department for distinction purposes. Students writing a two-semester essay by taking 491 and 492, will receive a temporary 491 grade (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) at the end of the fall semester. That grade will be replaced by a letter grade given for 491 and 492 based on the quality of the senior essay. Students who write a two-semester essay by taking a seminar and then 492 will receive a grade based on the requirements of the seminar in the fall. In the spring they will receive a grade for 492 based on the quality of the senior essay. Your senior essay will be graded by your advisor.

To qualify for distinction, a senior must receive a grade of A or A- from their advisor on the senior essay and have 3/4 of their economics grades be A’s or A-’s. For the purpose of distinction economics grades include related course credit, but do not include introductory microeconomics, introductory macroeconomics, the math requirement nor courses taken outside of Yale.

Senior Essay Course Lecturer:

Rebecca Toseland will be the Fall 2023 lecturer for The Senior Essay (Econ 491a) course.

Lecturer and TF office hours are by appointment only. Schedule a time on office hours sign-up sheet below.

Senior Essay TF:

Ken Jung will be the Fall 2023 TF for The Senior Essay (Econ 491a) course.

Office Hours Sign-up Sheet

Lecturer and TF office hours are by appointment only. Schedule a time on this sign-up sheet (must be signed-in with Eli Apps to view and edit).

If you would like to request an appointment at a different time, please email the Lecturer or TF.

Senior Essay Prizes

Essays will also be read by an anonymous economics department faculty member. Only the advisor’s grade will appear on the transcript. However, both the advisor and the anonymous readers must nominate an essay for that essay to move on to the awards committee.

Three or more prizes for outstanding senior essays are awarded each year by the economics undergraduate prize committee. The  Charles Heber Dickerman Memorial Prize  is awarded for the best senior essay; the  Ronald Meltzer/Cornelia Awdziewicz Economic Award  is awarded for one or two more outstanding senior essays and the  Ellington Prize  is awarded for one or more outstanding essays in the field of finance.

Senior Essays Nominated for Prizes

Women in Economics 2021 Senior Thesis Spotlight

College Application Checklist

Find the right college for you., junior summer: ─do before applying to college checklist.

• Set up a professional-sounding email address.
• Create a balanced list of reach, match, and safety colleges.
• Go to the application website.
• Note the regular application deadline.
• Note the early application deadline.

Junior Year: Take Tests and Other Exams for Admission

• Find out if an admission test is required.
• Take an admission test, if required.
• Take other required or recommended tests (e.g., AP Exams, IB exams).
• Send admission test scores, if required, with your application.
• Send other test scores.
• Retest by summer of junior year or fall of senior year.

Early Senior Year: Get Letters and Essay Ready.

• Request recommendation letters. Provide a résumé for reference.
• Send thank-you notes to recommendation writers.
• Start the essay drafting and revision process 2 months prior to the application deadline.
• Draft initial essay.
• Proofread essay for spelling and grammar.
• Have 2 people read your essay.
• Revise your essay.
• Proofread your revision.

Fall of Senior Year: Make a Campus Visit. Apply for Financial Aid.

• Interview at the college campus, if required.
• Submit FAFSA® if eligible.
• Submit CSS PROFILE if needed.
• Make a note of the priority financial aid deadline.
• Make a note of the regular financial aid deadline.
• Submit college aid form if needed.
• Submit a state aid form if needed.
• Check the college's financial aid website to see if you need to submit any additional institution forms.

Submit the Application. Pay Fees by Deadlines.

• Complete college application.
• Save copies of your application and application materials.
• Pay application fee. Submit an application fee waiver if eligible.
• Submit application.
• Request high school transcript to be sent.
• Request midyear grade report to be sent.
• Confirm receipt of application materials by checking your application status online.
• Send additional material if needed.
• Tell your school counselor that you applied.
• Receive letter from admissions office.

Senior Spring: Make Your Selections.

• Apply for housing and meal plans, if applicable.
• Receive financial aid award letter.
• Accept financial aid offer.
• Notify whichever colleges you’re not planning to attend.

What things do you need to provide in the college application process?

When applying to college, you’ll need to provide information regarding personal details, your academic background, your extracurricular activities, and achievements you want to highlight. You’ll also need to submit standardized test scores and letters of recommendation, if required. Along with that, you’ll want to submit any required essays, making sure they highlight your aspirations and your personality. You can even strengthen your application by including additional information about yourself and a résumé.

Most colleges will require an application fee. If you require financial assistance to cover this fee, ask your school counselor about application fee waivers.

What are five things you need to know about college application process?

When navigating college admissions requirements, consider these five points:

• Go through each college's admissions requirements, including transcripts, test scores, essays, and recommendations.
• Pay close attention to submission deadlines to ensure you deliver all required documents on time.
• Familiarize yourself with the admissions criteria, including academic performance, extracurricular activities, and personal attributes.
• Check out the available financial aid options, such as scholarships and grants. Follow the designated application timelines.
• Visit the colleges you're interested in. Take advantage of any interview opportunities to express your interest and gain valuable insights into the institutions.

Is the admissions process the same for all colleges?

The admissions process can differ between institutions. Colleges you apply to may ask for standardized test scores and recommendation letters. Or they may have more specific requirements. Before you even begin an application, you’ll need to review the admissions guidelines of each college you plan to apply to and personalize your application to their needs.

How important are extracurricular activities in the college admissions process?

Participating in extracurricular activities can significantly influence the college admissions process. Colleges seek students who aren’t only academically accomplished but also have a diverse range of interests and a demonstrated dedication to their passions. Being actively involved in clubs, sports, community service, and leadership roles can positively impact your application and highlight your potential contributions to the college community.

Are interviews required for college admission? How should I prepare for them?

Colleges may require interviews as part of their admissions process, or they may not require them. You’ll want to verify the specific requirements of each college. If a college recommends an interview or it’s mandatory, make sure to prepare yourself thoroughly. Practice answering common interview questions, research the college, and think about how to express your objectives and interests effectively. Interviews offer a chance to present yourself in a more personal and engaging way, so take advantage of this opportunity.

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NPR suspends veteran editor as it grapples with his public criticism

David Folkenflik

NPR suspended senior editor Uri Berliner for five days without pay after he wrote an essay accusing the network of losing the public's trust and appeared on a podcast to explain his argument. Uri Berliner hide caption

NPR suspended senior editor Uri Berliner for five days without pay after he wrote an essay accusing the network of losing the public's trust and appeared on a podcast to explain his argument.

NPR has formally punished Uri Berliner, the senior editor who publicly argued a week ago that the network had "lost America's trust" by approaching news stories with a rigidly progressive mindset.

Berliner's five-day suspension without pay, which began last Friday, has not been previously reported.

Yet the public radio network is grappling in other ways with the fallout from Berliner's essay for the online news site The Free Press . It angered many of his colleagues, led NPR leaders to announce monthly internal reviews of the network's coverage, and gave fresh ammunition to conservative and partisan Republican critics of NPR, including former President Donald Trump.

Conservative activist Christopher Rufo is among those now targeting NPR's new chief executive, Katherine Maher, for messages she posted to social media years before joining the network. Among others, those posts include a 2020 tweet that called Trump racist and another that appeared to minimize rioting during social justice protests that year. Maher took the job at NPR last month — her first at a news organization .

In a statement Monday about the messages she had posted, Maher praised the integrity of NPR's journalists and underscored the independence of their reporting.

"In America everyone is entitled to free speech as a private citizen," she said. "What matters is NPR's work and my commitment as its CEO: public service, editorial independence, and the mission to serve all of the American public. NPR is independent, beholden to no party, and without commercial interests."

The network noted that "the CEO is not involved in editorial decisions."

In an interview with me later on Monday, Berliner said the social media posts demonstrated Maher was all but incapable of being the person best poised to direct the organization.

"We're looking for a leader right now who's going to be unifying and bring more people into the tent and have a broader perspective on, sort of, what America is all about," Berliner said. "And this seems to be the opposite of that."

Conservative critics of NPR are now targeting its new chief executive, Katherine Maher, for messages she posted to social media years before joining the public radio network last month. Stephen Voss/Stephen Voss hide caption

Conservative critics of NPR are now targeting its new chief executive, Katherine Maher, for messages she posted to social media years before joining the public radio network last month.

He said that he tried repeatedly to make his concerns over NPR's coverage known to news leaders and to Maher's predecessor as chief executive before publishing his essay.

Berliner has singled out coverage of several issues dominating the 2020s for criticism, including trans rights, the Israel-Hamas war and COVID. Berliner says he sees the same problems at other news organizations, but argues NPR, as a mission-driven institution, has a greater obligation to fairness.

"I love NPR and feel it's a national trust," Berliner says. "We have great journalists here. If they shed their opinions and did the great journalism they're capable of, this would be a much more interesting and fulfilling organization for our listeners."

A "final warning"

The circumstances surrounding the interview were singular.

Berliner provided me with a copy of the formal rebuke to review. NPR did not confirm or comment upon his suspension for this article.

In presenting Berliner's suspension Thursday afternoon, the organization told the editor he had failed to secure its approval for outside work for other news outlets, as is required of NPR journalists. It called the letter a "final warning," saying Berliner would be fired if he violated NPR's policy again. Berliner is a dues-paying member of NPR's newsroom union but says he is not appealing the punishment.

The Free Press is a site that has become a haven for journalists who believe that mainstream media outlets have become too liberal. In addition to his essay, Berliner appeared in an episode of its podcast Honestly with Bari Weiss.

A few hours after the essay appeared online, NPR chief business editor Pallavi Gogoi reminded Berliner of the requirement that he secure approval before appearing in outside press, according to a copy of the note provided by Berliner.

In its formal rebuke, NPR did not cite Berliner's appearance on Chris Cuomo's NewsNation program last Tuesday night, for which NPR gave him the green light. (NPR's chief communications officer told Berliner to focus on his own experience and not share proprietary information.) The NPR letter also did not cite his remarks to The New York Times , which ran its article mid-afternoon Thursday, shortly before the reprimand was sent. Berliner says he did not seek approval before talking with the Times .

NPR defends its journalism after senior editor says it has lost the public's trust

Berliner says he did not get permission from NPR to speak with me for this story but that he was not worried about the consequences: "Talking to an NPR journalist and being fired for that would be extraordinary, I think."

Berliner is a member of NPR's business desk, as am I, and he has helped to edit many of my stories. He had no involvement in the preparation of this article and did not see it before it was posted publicly.

In rebuking Berliner, NPR said he had also publicly released proprietary information about audience demographics, which it considers confidential. He said those figures "were essentially marketing material. If they had been really good, they probably would have distributed them and sent them out to the world."

Feelings of anger and betrayal inside the newsroom

His essay and subsequent public remarks stirred deep anger and dismay within NPR. Colleagues contend Berliner cherry-picked examples to fit his arguments and challenge the accuracy of his accounts. They also note he did not seek comment from the journalists involved in the work he cited.

Morning Edition host Michel Martin told me some colleagues at the network share Berliner's concerns that coverage is frequently presented through an ideological or idealistic prism that can alienate listeners.

"The way to address that is through training and mentorship," says Martin, herself a veteran of nearly two decades at the network who has also reported for The Wall Street Journal and ABC News. "It's not by blowing the place up, by trashing your colleagues, in full view of people who don't really care about it anyway."

Several NPR journalists told me they are no longer willing to work with Berliner as they no longer have confidence that he will keep private their internal musings about stories as they work through coverage.

"Newsrooms run on trust," NPR political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben tweeted last week, without mentioning Berliner by name. "If you violate everyone's trust by going to another outlet and sh--ing on your colleagues (while doing a bad job journalistically, for that matter), I don't know how you do your job now."

Berliner rejected that critique, saying nothing in his essay or subsequent remarks betrayed private observations or arguments about coverage.

Other newsrooms are also grappling with questions over news judgment and confidentiality. On Monday, New York Times Executive Editor Joseph Kahn announced to his staff that the newspaper's inquiry into who leaked internal dissent over a planned episode of its podcast The Daily to another news outlet proved inconclusive. The episode was to focus on a December report on the use of sexual assault as part of the Hamas attack on Israel in October. Audio staffers aired doubts over how well the reporting stood up to scrutiny.

"We work together with trust and collegiality everyday on everything we produce, and I have every expectation that this incident will prove to be a singular exception to an important rule," Kahn wrote to Times staffers.

At NPR, some of Berliner's colleagues have weighed in online against his claim that the network has focused on diversifying its workforce without a concomitant commitment to diversity of viewpoint. Recently retired Chief Executive John Lansing has referred to this pursuit of diversity within NPR's workforce as its " North Star ," a moral imperative and chief business strategy.

In his essay, Berliner tagged the strategy as a failure, citing the drop in NPR's broadcast audiences and its struggle to attract more Black and Latino listeners in particular.

"During most of my tenure here, an open-minded, curious culture prevailed. We were nerdy, but not knee-jerk, activist, or scolding," Berliner writes. "In recent years, however, that has changed."

Berliner writes, "For NPR, which purports to consider all things, it's devastating both for its journalism and its business model."

NPR investigative reporter Chiara Eisner wrote in a comment for this story: "Minorities do not all think the same and do not report the same. Good reporters and editors should know that by now. It's embarrassing to me as a reporter at NPR that a senior editor here missed that point in 2024."

Some colleagues drafted a letter to Maher and NPR's chief news executive, Edith Chapin, seeking greater clarity on NPR's standards for its coverage and the behavior of its journalists — clearly pointed at Berliner.

A plan for "healthy discussion"

On Friday, CEO Maher stood up for the network's mission and the journalism, taking issue with Berliner's critique, though never mentioning him by name. Among her chief issues, she said Berliner's essay offered "a criticism of our people on the basis of who we are."

Berliner took great exception to that, saying she had denigrated him. He said that he supported diversifying NPR's workforce to look more like the U.S. population at large. She did not address that in a subsequent private exchange he shared with me for this story. (An NPR spokesperson declined further comment.)

Late Monday afternoon, Chapin announced to the newsroom that Executive Editor Eva Rodriguez would lead monthly meetings to review coverage.

"Among the questions we'll ask of ourselves each month: Did we capture the diversity of this country — racial, ethnic, religious, economic, political geographic, etc — in all of its complexity and in a way that helped listeners and readers recognize themselves and their communities?" Chapin wrote in the memo. "Did we offer coverage that helped them understand — even if just a bit better — those neighbors with whom they share little in common?"

Berliner said he welcomed the announcement but would withhold judgment until those meetings played out.

In a text for this story, Chapin said such sessions had been discussed since Lansing unified the news and programming divisions under her acting leadership last year.

"Now seemed [the] time to deliver if we were going to do it," Chapin said. "Healthy discussion is something we need more of."

Disclosure: This story was reported and written by NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik and edited by Deputy Business Editor Emily Kopp and Managing Editor Gerry Holmes. Under NPR's protocol for reporting on itself, no NPR corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted publicly.

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Stanford's Rachel Heck pens first-person essay to explain why she won't go pro

T his spring, after Rachel Heck completes her senior year at Stanford, she’ll put her golf clubs away and take on an internship in private equity. She’ll also be pinned as a Lieutenant of the United States Air Force. Heck explained her reasons for not turning professional in a first-person essay on nolayingup.com.

“I was strongly considering attributing my decision to my injuries,” wrote Heck, who has grappled with several in recent years. “It is true that even if I wanted to, I do not know if my body would hold up on tour. But frankly, after a couple of years of painful deliberation, I have come to realize that I do not want to play professional golf.

"I do not want a life on the road and in the public eye. I no longer dream of the U.S. Open trophies and the Hall of Fame. And I realize now that these dreams were never what my dad intended when he first put a club in my hand.”

https://twitter.com/rachelheck2020/status/1772274878592266370

Heck qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open at age 15 and, as a hotshot junior, suffered a back injury that left her sidelined from the game. Without golf, she felt lost, and during a period of darkness, decided that she wanted to pursue the Air Force ROTC to find something more. Heck’s parents told her she was crazy, but she persisted.

As a freshman at Stanford, with dreams of playing on the LPGA and serving in the Air Force in full throttle , Heck set an NCAA scoring record (69.72) en route to sweeping the postseason.

Heck won six times in nine starts in 2021, including her last five events. She became the third player in NCAA history to sweep the postseason, winning the Pac-12 Championship, NCAA regionals and nationals. She posted 15 of 25 rounds in the 60s, including 12 consecutive.

But, as her college career progressed, more injuries followed. While Heck intends to pass on the professional life, she does plan to continue to play amateur golf, following a similar path set by Wake Forest grad Emilia Migliaccio.

“I have grappled with anger, hope, depression, joy, and everything in between,” Heck wrote, “but amid each trial in which I so desperately sought the clarity of a deeper meaning, God always showed me the next step. Right now, the next step is not professional golf.”

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Stanford's Rachel Heck pens first-person essay to explain why she won't go pro

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North Hunterdon Voorhees Regional High School District Counseling Department

2024-2025 Common App Essay Prompts are now available!

Juniors if you are thinking about the college application that is coming up in the beginning of senior year and unsure yet what to write about take a look at the 2024-2025 Common App essay prompts. This may help you decide on the essay in which you would like to write!

https://www.commonapp.org/blog/common-app-announces-2024-2025-common-app-essay-prompts

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