You’ve got automatic acceptance into your top-choice school. Life is easy, right? Not if you’re also in the choir and the lead in the school play. And you’re having second thoughts about your major. And you want to do some more campus visits. And you’ve completely shifted your college list from what it was just a month ago. And you have a bit of writer’s block. And your top-choice school may not be your top-choice school in another month. Kati’s got a lot going on right now. Read below for the full scoop.

Meet the Class gets updated each month from September to May. Each installment features an interview about both the facts and the feelings of where the student is in the process.

Interviews may be edited lightly for clarity and grammar. Names may be changed to protect privacy.

Kati attends a comprehensive public high school in Texas

Do you have any deadlines coming up soon? What about any visits or college-related activities? What does your October look like in terms of college admissions?

So, besides trying to get all my applications sent in before Thanksgiving break, my big deadline is November 15th. This is when all applicants who wish to receive priority scholarships must submit their apps. A few days later, on the eighteenth, I’ll be participating in another round of auditions in the greater Houston area. Before November, though, October is a busy month! I want to finish all of my essays and short answers over the week (and over this GREAT three-day weekend we have!) so I can go to my local writing center for revisions before the end of October. There’re a few colleges I still want to visit, and I’m trying to pencil in dates to go view the campuses this month as well. Besides that, I’ve filled out all of my information on my applications, so I just need to finish the essays, submit my test scores, and send my transcripts.

The FAFSA just opened up. How soon do you plan to submit yours? Do you have all the information you need?

My school has a FAFSA night on October 16th, and so I plan to use that to help me fill out my application.

How much money do you anticipate spending on college admissions? In terms of application fees and other expenses, how much is this going to cost your family?

I’m really trying to narrow down my list so I don’t have to pay more than about five or so application fees. On top of the average $50 per app, it’s also another $15 to send my SAT scores to each school. So, bare minimum, I believe I’ll be paying nearly $400 on applications alone.

Other than college applications, what else is going on for you at school? What kinds of things are you involved with at school?

I am involved with my school’s theatre program, our choir, and am a fairly regular member in student council. The week of October 8th, we have our first choir concert of the year, and then the week of the 22nd, I’m playing Dorothy in the theatre’s production of the Wizard of Oz. Between auditions, school, and rehearsals, it’s become a lot to juggle. I really enjoy doing it though, and I’ve gotten so much more effective at managing my time wisely because of the activities I participate in.

How are you feeling about college applications right now? What's your current mood as far as college goes?

I’m nervous about applications! Due to a Texas law, because I’m in my top 6%, I’ll get automatic acceptance into any public Texas university. The thing is, I still have to actually apply, and it’s become a real procrastinator’s struggle to get me to even think about my admissions essays because I feel as though they’re meaningless to an extent. Despite this, I have every intention to make my essays perfect, and so that’s why I’ve been pushing off starting them. I have made my bed, now I get to lie in it.

What's the general mood of your senior class? You say that only a third to a half are applying to college--is that something that gets talked about a lot? Are most of your classes with other college-bound students?

So the mood of my senior class varies greatly. Many of my classes are with college bound kids, and I’m assuming all of them have at the very least begun their applications. About half of those have actually submitted applications, so depending on what part of the process they’re at, it’s on a scale of extremely stressed to enjoying post-application bliss.

Last month you mentioned your major a few times, and I get the sense it's STEM related. You also mention auditioning for theater scholarships. What's your intended major?

Originally, I planned to only major in Biomedical Engineering. All the schools I first liked had very good programs for it. However, after auditioning last week, I’ve been looking at double majoring or having a minor in theatre. Currently, I’m looking into schools that have both a biomedical engineering degree or something very similar and offer a BA in Theatre.

Let's do our monthly checkup on "The List." Last month your list was:

Johns Hopkins

Carnegie Mellon

U.T. Austin (top choice)

Columbia

Duke

M.I.T.

U.C. San Diego

It’s crazy, but my list has changed a lot in the past few weeks! I’ve decided I only want to apply to one out of state college, and that is Carnegie Mellon because I really like their Biomedical and Theatre programs. University of Texas at Austin is still my top school, but I’m looking into other schools in-state that are more affordable and also feature a nice Theatre program.

Thanks for reading! If you have college admissions questions for Kati, leave a comment or email me. There are lots of ways to get regular updates from Apply with Sanity: like me on Facebook and Twitter, get the monthly newsletter, or connect on LinkedIn.