College season has begun and many seniors have felt overwhelmed, due to distance learning and upcoming deadlines. 

“If I’m constantly working on college apps, it drains me to the point where I’ll ignore it,” said senior Jasmine Barragan.

According to Vick Garcia, who works with Venice students through the UCLA Destination College Advising Corps, it’s a particularly challenging application year.

“Applying to colleges is always stressful, but adding the expectations to still academically perform well during a global pandemic, while struggling with Wi-Fi, while supporting your family, while witnessing violent injustice, while still attending club meetings, and while applying to scholarships, is overwhelming,” he said. 

According to Garcia, students should take note of deadlines and requirements when applying to college this year.

In particular, Garcia said that students applying to schools in the University of California and California State University systems should complete their applications in a timely manner.

A common college destination for Venice students, the Universities of California and California State University systems have been changing their policies and requirements for students who have been affected by this current pandemic. The University of California application is due between now and November 30, while the California State application is now due December 4. 

“Students should aim to submit their applications prior to Thanksgiving break to prevent any website crashes and to ensure they can get their application reviewed before submitting,” Garcia said. 

Venice High School is also providing resources for students to become informed about certain colleges and the application process. 

For more information, students can tune into the College Center group on Schoology to access daily reminders about college visits, application workshops, scholarship opportunities, and other announcements.