Emmy Kate Bickford - Chats about college application thoughts and stresses

Welcome to We Hear YA! 

Connecting YA Writers with their Teen Audience.

Remember your pre-college days? Well, 19yo Emmy Kate Bickford is about to take us back there, by sharing her mindset during the crucial application process. 

Hello Emmy! 

Q: What thoughts went through your mind as you were applying for college?

The most important thing for me when looking for colleges was finding a school that had great programs in both of my intended majors, theatre and dance. It was easy, then, to knock off schools early on in the application process. When you know what you want to do after college, it makes it much easier to find the right college and program for you. Another factor I considered was whether the college was part of the Disney College Program since I’ve always dreamed of participating in their intern program. Money was another important factor in deciding where to apply, as some schools that had excellent programs in theatre and dance were simply too expensive.

2. What was the most nerve-racking aspect of applying and why?

As a theatre and dance major, the audition aspect of applying to schools was the most nerve racking part since I was being judged on how well I performed in the moment rather than being able to hide behind a written application.

3. How often did the topic of college apps come up with your friends?

I attended a college preparatory school, Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School, so it was essentially understood that everyone would go to college and we’d been preparing for years. Hume-Fogg is consistently ranked among the Top 50 public high schools in the nation, as well as the number one public high school in Tennessee; as a result, everyone was working on college apps, so no one really felt the need to talk about it. I did discuss theatre programs at different schools with my friend Vonnie, who planned to major in stage management; and I discussed dance programs with my friend Olivia, also a dance major.

4. What stress dealing habits did you pick up during this time?

In high school, I took dance classes five days a week and was able to rid work off my stress through that. However, in college, now that dance is a class where I receive a grade, it creates some of my stress. Thus, I’ve had to develop some new stress relievers, such as going to the gym, drinking lots of water and avoiding caffeine, and also setting aside time just to relax whether this means hanging out with friends or simply taking a much needed nap.

5. Now that you are a Freshman at Western KY University, what do you miss most about high school? 

When I was in high school, I thought the only thing I would miss would be the comfort of knowing my surroundings and everyone around me. The idea of going to a new place, not knowing anyone, or how to get anywhere scared me a bit. I also thought I would miss my friends; but overall, I didn’t think I would miss much because I was generally very excited to start the next chapter of my life. Now that I’m in college and have been here long enough to know my surroundings and make quite a few friends, I feel comfortable where I am and don’t miss much about high school.

Thanks Emmy! We can't wait to see you perform with Disney :)

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