According to my dad, colleges asked only one question: “Will your check clear?”

Of course, this is a slight exaggeration, but applying to college was a lot simpler twenty or thirty years ago. Back then, applicants took the ACT or SAT once, submitted their score, wrote up a quick application and essay, and submitted it to colleges.

Now the pressure of the Common App essay is immense. Supplement essays add additional stress. Thousands of dollars are spent on ACT and SAT tutors as well as test prep books. Freshmen and sophomores commit to classes and clubs in which they are completely uninterested. In short, the college search has intensified; the competition at Ladue is particularly fierce.

Has it gotten too intense?

Obviously college is important. Better colleges more effectively prepare people for the workforce and life. However, in that sentence lies a confusing word: “better.” To many students, including me, the better colleges are those that are listed higher in the rankings. However, as college season continues to grow more intense, we all need to take a few moments to calm down and realize that life is not made or broken by a rejection or acceptance letter.

College isn’t everything. And by the way, the reason it is more stressful is because we have made it that way.

I’m just saying.