The Pressure Year
Choice of a lifetime
Mao Lee sat in bed with her cell phone, thumbs flying as she flooded a friend with text messages. In a few hours she would catch an early morning flight for a visit to Reed College in Oregon. I've never been to an airport. What if I miss the plane? Reassuring messages trickled back until the weary friend had to go to bed. Mao didn't sleep much that night. Her world is largely confined to her family, her high school in north Minneapolis, the family garden north of the Twin Cities and the area lakes she fishes. Not cross-country flights to visit elite private colleges like Reed.
Mao is one of four high school seniors the Star Tribune has followed as they applied for college this year. The competition to get into selective schools has never been tougher, and it has been a hard spring for many seniors. Record numbers of applicant have been turned away by schools ranging from Harvard to the University of Minnesota. Now, national decision day looms on Tuesday. After anxious months of struggling with essays and financial-aid forms and weighing schools they want against schools they can get into, thousands of Minnesota students will make the biggest choice of their lives.
For Mao, the decision is bigger than most. College will be a path to a life beyond poverty, for her and perhaps for the family she loves.
One of seven children of Hmong parents who never went to school, Mao is a near-straight-A student in advanced courses at Henry High School. She won her first scholarship in middle school. But to her family, she is the oldest unmarried daughter, and she has responsibilities. Mao skips summer enrichment programs to work 14-hour days in the garden with her parents.
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About this series
For many teenagers, getting into college presents the biggest challenge they've ever faced. Worries over test scores, college rankings and family expectations can make the process overwhelming. Even though there are enough college slots for everyone who wants a diploma, the push toward elite schools and the number of students applying have changed the playing field, making students feel compelled to stand out. They'll apply to multiple colleges, take entrance exams repeatedly and fill their résumés with volunteer work to show themselves at their best.
Meet The Students
TOMMY DEMARCO
More from this series:
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The numbers get real
Parents of highs chool seniors are getting financial-aid estimates this month, and for many families, the numbers are staggering. -
Agony of Admissions
Winter is hectic for college admissions counselors, who make tough decisions about who can join the next freshman class. At St. Olaf, the process is part argument, part statistics, part hunch. Who will make the cut? -
College: Does a big name matter?
Does it really matter, in life or a career, if you went to an elite school? That depends on whom you ask. -
Strategies for shining
With competition for colleges intense, high school seniors spend hours talking with counselors and polishing their résumés and essays, trying to market their strengths. -
The Pressure Year
Once, applying to college was relatively simple. But now, record numbers of students are graduating from high school and competing for spots in elite colleges. Students devote months to boosting test scores and agonizing over choices. For many high school seniors and their families, it can be an overwhelming ordeal. -
College essays: Nerve-racking search for just the right words
Students dig deep to add a dash of personality to applications, believing that what they say might determine acceptance or aid. -
College consultants take families by the hand
Parents anxious about getting their kids into the right schools are seeking out professionals in college consulting, a field that has burgeoned in recent years. -
Test-prep
Business is booming, but is it fair? -
ABOUT THE SERIES
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Luna Yang: So many choices
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Tommy DeMarco: Surprising everyone
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Jennifer VonFelden: Heart over pocketbook