For those of you who are not seniors or juniors, the College Prep Class or “College Exploration” as the transcript typically calls it is a weekly class that replaces one of your gym periods, to help you through the process of applying to college through the common app or the City University of New York, or even trade schools if that’s your thing.

Applying to college is complicated. There’s not just the application itself, but your college essay, FAFSA, CSS Profile, and SAT have to be taken care of, with varying importance depending on where you apply. So in College Prep, you meet with Leaders’ college advisors: Ms. Henry Wilson and Ms. Mallet. They’ve been a huge help for me, and most of the seniors. At least, I can only speak for this year. You actually begin taking it in your second semester of 11th grade along with the college essay class, where you begin on the groundwork like picking out a couple of schools, making your accounts on Common App and Naviance, and drafting your college essay. 

College applications can be due as early as November 1st if you decide to pursue early decisions, but most are typically due in January. So naturally, shortly after you submit those applications, the prep class leaves your schedule. But, there’s more to preparing for college than just submitting the applications. Losing that time during your week leaves you on your own in figuring out how to apply for honors programs, get tours, and most importantly, actually decide where you’re going to college. That doesn’t even mention the steps after you accept your offer. 

I’ll use myself as an example. After several tours and discussions with family and friends, I decided to go to City College of New York. More specifically, The Grove School of Engineering at CCNY. Since accepting my placement, I had to set up my college email in Microsoft Office, get immunization records from the doctor’s office, schedule an academic advisor call, and schedule my math placement exam. Which in its first round of availability, opens in early March and closes in late April. If you somehow miss that first round as I nearly did, then you will have to wait until the summer to take the test again. Your first chance of passing the test is essentially thrown out the window. If in both chances you don’t pass your admission to the engineering school is revoked.

My point is there are several delicate processes involved after your applications go through. And even if you don’t struggle with those steps, during the downtime, it can be an incredibly convenient part of the weekly schedule to do general life admin. I’ve made doctor’s appointments, scheduled meetings, applied for jobs, and even worked on my writing for projects outside of school. Sure, Crew can be used to the same effect, but it’s a time intended for fostering a stronger community with your classmates, not unsubscribing from spam emails.

College Exploration is a vital part of your junior and senior years, and your responsibilities applying to college don’t end when your applications are returned. And while I’m not in a position to understand the logistics or practicality of making a change like this, I think it’s something worth… exploring.