Currently in England, school ends at 16. At this point you choose one of several options: college, work, apprenticeships. None of these institutions allow you in without an application form. From then on, you're prepared for the many more applications you will need to fill in. We are all of us bound to write hundreds of application forms in our lifetimes. After all, since there is so much you can do, there's so much you have to do to be able to do it.
With me, it began at the end of secondary school like everybody else. I applied to colleges and sixth forms just by writing one application form. Every college saw the same thing, some of them liked it and some of them didn't. Some of them liked it enough for an interview, which I attended along with some tens of others one evening.
I was sixteen and I don't remember the specificities of that interview, but I remember them being held in a hall. A regular school hall with lots of single desks which had two chairs on either side of them. On one side sat a teacher, with a small announcement card on the desk, stating 'Geography' or 'Biology' or 'Psychology'. The chair opposite the teachers was empty, awaiting the applicants. I remember that some teachers were lovely and approachable; some were very much the opposite.
A few months later, I received a letter notifying me that unfortunately, I was not successful in my application but I was certainly consoled when I read that this particular sixth form did wish me the best of luck for my future endeavours.
My future endeavours were carried out at another local sixth form, which really tried to help its students prepare for these application forms. Regular talks, activities, afternoons spent brain storming, mornings spent racking our brains about how some program or other had contributed to our character meant that we were certainly prepared. I guess the irony of looking back on this period is that I remember thinking these activities were pointless, time consuming and annoying and if that's not preparation for future applications, I don't know what is.
In retrospect of course, I am grateful for these activities. I am not grateful for the fact that they begin so early. Or am I being idealistic in thinking sixteen is a little too early?
It was shortly after turning seventeen (I am an April baby) that we were encouraged to think about our university applications. The sixth form that I attended was one where university was (almost) the only realistic option after we had completed our A Levels. In preparation for applying for university many students had already experienced applying for voluntary work, work experience and such things that tend to accessorize the personal statement.
Those of us that made it to university find that this damned first year is full of only more application forms. By now we have formed stock answers because most application forms are actually not that different. Once you get past the personal details, they pretty much ask the same things, and we pretty much say the same things in reply.
Of course, I'm not complaining about having to write application letters for jobs, I'm not so delusional or idealistic. But there's so much more. There's voluntary work, there's internships, there's managerial positions, there's activity leader positions, there's scholarships, there's bursaries, there's part-time, there's temping, there's full-time, there's full-time.
Maybe I'm feeling sorry for myself. Maybe there are people out there that apply once and get it, then apply for something else and they get that too. I don't know those people. I don't want to know those people; I don't even want to know their secret. Because realistically I don't think they have one.
Maybe I shouldn't complain that they start us off too early on the practice of applying. Maybe everything we do is on some scale, in some way, just another thing for the CV. Maybe we have more than one CV, that is, the literal and the metaphorical.
Maybe life is one giant application form. But what is the position we're applying for?
Maybe I’m getting too philosophical. For now, I’m just clicking ‘Send’ or posting letters and getting on.
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