I’m grateful that Katie was able to email me back this month, because she sounds really busy. She’s got a full schedule at school, a long college list with early audition deadlines, and a school play. Read all about her September below.

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.
Katie ATTENDS A Private Christian HIGH SCHOOL IN Ohio

First, do you have any college-related activity this month? Any campus tours or interviews? Are you applying early anywhere that has a November 1 deadline?

I don't have anything official for colleges this month. I have one application due this month, the 15th for Wichita State. I also have prescreen due for Indiana University [a “prescreen” is a pre-recorded audition clip for acting programs]. My applications are due November 1 for Indiana University, Temple, Western Michigan, and University of Minnesota—Twin Cities. I am trying to get all of my applications done this month, and I am almost there.

What else is going on for you at school? Are you active in any sports, clubs, and/or student government?

I am in my school play right now. I am playing a supporting character as well as choreographing it, so that's my biggest school commitment right now. I am also in Model UN, and we have our first conference in December.

What else is going on for you outside of school? What else takes up your time and energy?

I honestly really don't have a life right now. I am taking more classes than I have since freshman year and almost all of them are college classes, so I am spending all my free time doing homework. I am spending a lot of time working on audition material for college auditions.

How are you feeling about college applications right now? Has your mood changed in the past month?

I am more concerned about college applications than I was last month. I was expecting to get more done than I did, so I am kind of playing catch up. I have quite a few prescreens due, which is really stressing me out. I am hoping to shoot them in the next few days, but I still don't know my material. I have recklessly submitted a few college applications, and that felt really great. I am looking forward to more gratification like that.

What is the mood of the other seniors at your school right now? Is college stress a part of the atmosphere?

I don't think anyone at my high school has even really thought about it. They all seem to be hoping that if they ignore it long enough, it will go away. I have one friend who has submitted their college applications, and I have helped another one a bit. But other than that, no one I know of has really thought about it or started the application process.

The FAFSA opened up for students to start applying for financial aid this week. How ready are you for the paperwork? Will you fill it out soon?

I have already started the paperwork for the FAFSA. I am hoping to get it done soon because the audition season is upon us, and I have so many other things to worry about. I think I am pretty prepared for the paperwork.

How much, including application fees and other costs, do you think college applications are going to cost you this year?

I know this year’s going to cost so much more than I would like it to. I am applying to so many schools, and I have extra fees for auditioning at most of my schools. I also have to travel to all of my auditions because all of the schools I am applying to are far from where I live. Then hopefully, if I have a choice of what school to go to, there will be college visits at the end of this process. My process is much more of a financial burden than the typical, but I am trying my best to keep costs down.

Let's look at your college list as it stood last month:

Penn State (top choice)

University of Hartford (top choice)

Ball State University

Central Washington University

Columbia College Chicago

Indiana University Bloomington

Minnesota State Mankato

Montclaire State

North Dakota State

Roosevelt University

University of Buffalo

Temple University

University of Central Missouri

University of Minnesota Duluth

University of Minnesota Twin Cities

University of Oklahoma

University of Rhode Island

University of South Dakota

University of the Arts

Western Michigan

Wichita State

Do you still plan on applying to all of those, or have you already dropped some off the list? Any to add to the list?

I very recently dropped the University of Buffalo. The audition dates didn't work for my schedule, and it wasn't a top school in my eyes. I am considering not applying to the University of Rhode Island, but I am still unsure about that. No other schools have been added; I can barely handle all the ones I have right now.

Thanks for reading! If you have college admissions questions for Katie, leave a comment or email me. You can find other Meet the Class responses here. Please send this to someone who would like to read it, or share it on your social networks.

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Photo by Angela Elisabeth.