I relate to it as well.
Also, in today's environment at least in California, getting in is just the first hurdle for what they call "impacted majors." For example, at UC Santa Cruz, if you want to be a Computer Science major you must be admitted as a Proposed Computer Science major then you must satisfy a number of prerequisite classes until you are formally allowed in as a Computer Science declared major. If you were *not* admitted as a a Proposed Computer Science major in the first place, you are never allowed to transfer into that major. So if you go to UC Santa Cruz, the ability to ever be in their Computer Science program is limited to those that apply and are admitted as Proposed. If you wish to switch majors to Computer Science if you were admitted as another major or undeclared, you are out of luck. It isn't allowed. Even if you get top grades in some Computer Science courses, the highest in the class, you can't become a Computer Science major by switching majors. It says: "Admission to this major is selective. The Computer Science major at UCSC is impacted, and in order to pursue this major students must have been admitted to UCSC as a proposed Computer Science Major. Students not admitted as Computer Science will not be able to pursue this major."
Getting started in Computer Science - Frosh
Stress levels are even high for majors like Business Administration. For UC Berkeley, if you want to get a B.S. in Business Administration, you can't be admitted to that major as a freshman.
Undergraduate Program | Berkeley Haas Instead you must spend two years in limbo, then during your sophomore year, apply to the Haas business school to see if you get in. If you get in, that is great, but they are a very "highly competitive program" for some unknown reason. If you do get into Haas, the actual business classes don't start until your Junior year. So what do you do if you have spent two full years at Berkeley and don't get into the Haas business school but really want a B.S. in Business Administration? Well, you have to drop out and go somewhere else and start the process all over again. Or you have to settle on a different major---maybe a 2nd, 3rd or 4th choice.
Very stressful.
From the Gap Year essay, it sounds like Sydney really struggled with the isolation and loneliness of living in North Carolina with her parents. And it sounds as like she did not have too much contact with peers that had gone off to college directly following their senior year to understand the hurdles and challenges freshman may face starting out once they arrive on campus.
And in many of these universities, getting your foot in the door is the first step. There is no such thing as a "dream college" where upon arrival you are on your way to pursue your "dream major." This is not really emphasized in the glossy brochures the colleges put out when they are trying to attract applicants. As a prospective student, young people have to forensically dig into college websites to figure out all of the restrictions and policies and the fine print. The higher the prestige of the university, the harder it is to compete to be selected for impacted majors and survive the "weed out" process.
Once in the university, first there are placement tests (which aren't really talked about in the glossy brochures either), then there is the stress to compete to actually get in a major you want that is real admission to the major and not a conditional or proposed major, and survive the "weed out" classes in order to study what you want to study. There are many hurdles along the way. And of course, in large universities like Berkeley, there are wait lists for classes which may mean students have to enroll in summers to get the classes they need to eventually graduate. And many possible failure points along the way that can really tear down the confidence and aspirations of even the most capable students.
