Taking time off: Kaela Jennings-Swett

Graduated senior Kaela Jennings-Swett was excited for college applications when she first began researching that she took her first college tours in California with her family the summer before her junior year. 

College applications were still far away then, and Jennings-Swett didn’t think it would be too hard. After all, college applications are something your whole life has been preparing you for, right?

“I started feeling the pressure of college applications the summer before senior year,” Jennings-Swett said. “I knew I needed to start them, and the upcoming work seemed to be a wave in the distance coming at me.” 

Jennings-Swett had been given little guidance on how to balance college applications. 

“If I had that assistance, I feel I could have avoided being overwhelmed by the amount of work I had,” Jennings-Swett said. 

Though she put so many hours into her college applications that they could be added up to days, Jennings-Swett began early, which helped her. 

In beginning her work in late August, Jennings-Swett gave herself time to start over and edit her work. At one point, she completely scrapped her work and began again.

Instead of having an essay that was put together under the stress of a looming deadline, Jennings-Swett could take a deep breath and make something she was truly proud of. 

“It is okay if you have to put a stop to some things in your life since it can always be resumed,” said Jennings-Swett.

In order to give herself time to write her essays and work on her mental health, Jennings-Swett quit her job for a semester, and even took time off from being an athletic trainer for the football team.

“Go into it knowing you can’t be perfect,” she said to rising seniors and underclassmen. “Allow yourself time to be yourself during the process.” 

For Jennings-Swett, the experience was a, “huge learning curve,” and, “very time-consuming and stressful.” While applying to colleges may seem overwhelming and intimidating, rising seniors can remember her advice to, “Start as early as possible and give yourself the time.”

Jennings-Swett decided to go abroad, taking a gap year before starting college. She’s traveled to many different places across Europe, including Ireland, Germany, Austria, and Slovakia. 

“I chose to take a gap year because I have never been out of the country and it was always a big dream of mine,” Jennings-Swett said. “I didn’t know where I wanted to go to college so my parents encouraged me to take time off and explore the world and myself.”