Different changes are constantly being made to college admissions; whether it be the increase of average GPA acceptance or the admission process in general.

Many students find the recent changes to be efficient in taking the stress load off of students applying to different UC’s or state colleges.

However, there are some recent changes to college applications that may or may not be beneficial to students applying to colleges within the following school year.

One prominent change over the years has been that you only need to fill out one application to send to all the UCs that you’re applying to. This has made the application process significantly easier, especially for people wanting to expand their choices.

Senior Kiara Mitlin has already started applying to schools for the next school year and is happy with the changes in the application process.

“I think filling out one application for the UC’s makes the application process a lot easier and I also like how there is a personal statement which lets colleges look at you as a whole, not only your grades,” she said.

The personal statement aspect of your college application is one of two categories; your opportunity to sell yourself in your application or your personalized response to a specific question.

Do personal statements help with overall college admissions? Many students use this part of the application to enhance their overall submission and so that they have a better chance in getting into the college of their choice.

However, some may view this as less significant because most colleges, particularly UC’s or Ivy League schools determine the majority of their applicants based on academic excellence.

Junior Aria Fereydouni will be applying to colleges next Fall and strongly believes that personal statements are indeed crucial and helpful to your college admission.

“I think it’s beneficial, it gives you the opportunity to put a face to the scores and hundreds of other applications that colleges receive daily,” he said.

Another factor that commonly surrounds college applications and senior year is senioritis, or the slacking off of your senior year. Colleges are starting to pay a much closer attention to senior year along with sophomore and junior year.

Senior Rohan Savoor explains how senioritis is affecting college applications and whether or not it’s a good thing for both the applicant and the college.

“It seems like a bummer for us seniors, but it’s also a good indicator to colleges in terms of whether we’re okay with slacking off just because we think no one’s watching; it’s essentially like a measure of integrity in that way,” he said.

“Many applications have been rescinded because of senioritis, but as a result, seniors are now starting to pay more attention to their grades and aren’t slowing down as much as they used to in the final stretch of the race,” Rohan said.

Choosing to take your senior year seriously could affect what colleges you get accepted into, considering senior year has been a common issue with some applicants.

    Whether you’re currently applying to colleges or will be applying sometime in the near future, it’s important to keep these changes in mind.