CCHS alumna Halle Way ‘19 found herself entering the shared stress portal of college admissions as she started senior year. Her stress, however, fostered a personally surprising coping mechanism.

“I was honestly a little surprised at how well I maintained and managed my closeness with God during the tough college admission process,” Way said. “Even though the whole process is stressful and very time consuming, I found myself always finding ways to set aside time for my faith which helped to bring myself closer to him and stay close to him even after the college application process was completed.” 

Leaving the future in God’s hands is daunting task that many are fearful of due to its open-endedness. Yet, many CCHS students found solace in Christ himself. 

CCHS alumnus Jag Twigg ‘18 faced all of his anxieties with the support of Christ.

“Schedule it if you have to,” Twigg said. “Having set time with God each day keeps you balanced and brings some consistency among your new and stressful life. You notice when you spend more time with Christ, you find yourself making better decisions throughout your day, and being able to stay strong admits the struggles and temptations of college life even when you are away from home.

“Christ brings you a sense of love and comfort that cannot be found anywhere else.”

Twigg and Halle’s experiences were very similar, as they have specific advice for the class of 2020, who will soon enter the process of college admissions. 

“During the stressful application process, it helps to go to morning Mass and start your day in prayer,” Way said. “Another tip I could give is to pop in the chapel after school and wait for the parking lot rush to end.”

“Having set time with God each day keeps you balanced and brings some consistency among your new stressful life,” Twigg said. “You notice when you find yourself making better decisions throughout your day and being able to stay strong amidst the struggles and temptations of college.”

Emily Rotunda ‘19 struggled with her relationship with God throughout her life. After finding a stronger unity with Christ, He is now the center of her life in all aspects. She attributes her relationship with God to dwelling among a tight Catholic community during difficult times. 

“I realized how important being in a Catholic environment helped me to get back into the faith after I had suffered such a traumatic experience,” Rotunda said. “Getting involved in campus ministry and getting involved in the parish is definitely the key to how to stay close to God while going through the stressful process of college applications.” 

As the stir of college applications continues, students have expressed their concern of writing about their faith in college applications. 

 “Do not be afraid to let your faith shine through in your essay and don’t let your faith just be in the background either, let it be what defines you,” Rotunda said.