Listen to “The College Process” on This Teenage Life
In this episode of “This Teenage Life,” teens discuss the dreaded “common application,” read excerpts from their personal essays, and give advice on the highly competitive process.
Click on the full episode of This Teenage Life here and wherever podcasts are found.
By Beth Fertig
May is the month when high school seniors decide which colleges they’ll attend. Applying to college is incredibly stressful. High school students are asked to summarize their educational experience and package themselves in a way that will stand out from the crowd.
In this episode of “This Teenage Life,” teens discuss the dreaded “common application,” read excerpts from their personal essays, and give advice on the highly competitive process.
“It felt like I was losing sight of myself” to play the application game, said one teen.
Others ask, how much can you really say about extracurricular activities? Or family circumstances? When does a personal essay become a “trauma dump”? And what role do test scores really play?
This Teenage Life is a podcast that gives students space to talk about whatever is on their minds. Some episodes have dealt with finding your style, crushes, acne, sibling rivalry, and mental health challenges. But the core group of teens who craft these episodes also spend a lot of time thinking about the place where they spend so many of their waking hours: school.
At XQ, we value youth voice and choice. It’s one of our design principles for rethinking how to make better high schools. We’re proud to sponsor TTL because we believe listening to students helps educators foster another design principle: caring, trusting relationships. When teens feel valued, they can also thrive in school—putting them on the path to success in college or careers.
We believe conversations like these are important for educators to hear if they’re to fully appreciate their students and help them reach their full potential. Enjoy this latest episode sponsored by XQ.
Listen to previous TTL episodes dealing with high school, sponsored by XQ:
Listen to “How Teachers Can Make Us Feel Safe” on This Teenage Life
Listen to “Academic Pressure” on This Teenage Life
Listen to “Making Friends” on This Teenage Life
Listen to How Teachers Can Help Students Feel Seen on “This Teenage Life”
Listen to Teens Discuss What Mattered Most to Them in High School Classes
How the Pandemic Changed Us: High Schoolers Share Their Perspectives
Listen: Dealing with Transitions, Like Starting High School
Art by Cloe Moreno, provided by This Teenage Life
