Over the last few days, the College Counseling Department offered open office hours to help seniors finalize their applications before submission.

Unlike scheduled meetings, which students must arrange with their assigned counselor, these drop-in sessions allow seniors to meet with any available counselor.

“Oftentimes, students need less than a traditional 30-minute meeting, so open hours also allow us to maximize how many students we see,” Director of College Counseling Alexandra Fields said. “It can increase student frustration or anxiety if they come in and have to wait. Otherwise, I think [open office hours] works really well.”

That efficiency was evident throughout the week, as the Upper School office saw many seniors come in and out—many leaving with big smiles after finalizing their college applications and seeing them appear as submitted on the Common App website.

“Most [students] are really excited and can’t believe that they’ve done it,” Ms. Fields said about their submitting their applications. “Usually there’s a big smile and some sort of ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe I just did that,’ and a lot of students take pictures of the confetti screen.”

One relieved senior, Nicholas Wheatley, shared that pressing the beautiful submit button lifted a weight that was on his shoulders all week.

“At first I was worried that I would forget something, but then Ms. [Devon] Jones double-checked everything with me, from my signatures to supplements,” Nick said. “That helped calm my nerves, so once I pressed submit, I was really happy. It felt like I got the hardest ones out of the way.”

That sense of ease and accomplishment is something the counselors see every year as seniors send out their Nov. 1 applications, ultimately bringing them closer to completing their first wave of submissions.

“It’s very exciting and also a relief to have made it this far into the process,” Ms. Fields said. “Everything gets easier after November first.”