The past ten months or so have been challenging for everyone. Not being able to have a normal schedule, see your friends and family, or just do normal, everyday things. One thing I’ve found over the past couple of months is that college applications, bluntly, suck. I know my fellow seniors, this year and anyone who has ever filled out a college application, can agree that the process is super stressful, time-consuming, and terribly nerve-wracking. This year, it’s on a whole new level. New guidelines, test-optional schools and virtual guidance meetings have made this already dreadful and time-consuming process even more difficult. Although many people’s college plans are changing based on the pandemic, it does not mean your hard work over these four years has gone to waste. For example, I studied for months for the SAT, only for three of the four tests I planned on taking to be cancelled. I felt like every ounce of my brain had been used up trying to work for that high score, and now I was stuck at the start. Yet, this simply means, like most other challenges we’ve faced, we step up to the plate and work our way through. Instead of giving up, I signed up for just one more SAT date and managed my way through, proud that I even had a chance to take the test. Nevertheless, it’s not just high school students, but everyone in our community (and globally) facing something unlike anything before. As long as we are all in this together, both to stop the spread and to try our best with college during these crazy times, everything is going to be alright.  A couple of things that I try to keep in mind when things feel like they’re falling apart around me is to stay calm, keep trying and hope for the best. Right now, it is very difficult to stay calm but knowing that other people are right beside you struggling through the same thing gives me hope, and I hope that can give you hope, too.