All across the United States, society is shedding light on the not-so-new epidemic of student stress, seniors in particular.

Students have heard of the horrors that lie underneath the glamour of that last year of high school. Along with the dances, pep rallies, and cap and gowns comes a level of anxiety for a bulk of students that has been on the rise for quite some time now.

Some of the stress is the confusion of it all: the application process, the transition from childhood to adult life.

“I’m just so lost as to where to begin or where to go,” senior Mikaela Paul said. But she is not alone, as more and more statistics are coming out showing an overwhelming lack of understanding in the college application process.

“We do our best to make our application as quick and easy as possible. The goal is to encourage students to learn, not to deter them from it,” Oklahoma University said.

Not all the pressure lies in just applying however; testing is a large factor in the stress that weighs upon the shoulders of America’s next generation.

“The stress I feel mostly comes from college and the SAT/ACT,” senior Natalie Kidd said.

According to the ACT 2013 profile report, the number of test takers alone rose by nearly 318,800 since 2009.

The news reports on overwhelming stress is puzzling to parents who wonder why their not so long ago senior year experience widely differs from their child’s.

“I remember my senior year being fun and just a time to goof off,” senior mom Patty Brinkman said. “Now I see my daughter, and she’s in her room all night, every night drowning in homework or prepping for tests. I don’t understand why it’s so different now from back then.”

Most economists will agree that in today’s society, where the economy is worsening day-by-day, the job market is more selective than in years past.

“Standards have gone up,” Kidd said. “People expect more of you, and in order to be successful these days, you have to have the best education.”

The problem with seeking out a top education to allow oneself an upper hand in the work place is that with more students to choose from, acceptance to colleges is becoming more difficult to achieve.

In fact, according to the University of Texas’s 2013 Freshman Profile, U.T. admitted only 40 percent of their applicants. The New York Times reports New York University admissions are even more selective at an acceptance rate of 30.29 percent of their total applicants.

The numbers are even lower for the top ranked Ivy Leagues. For the 2013 school year, Princeton accepted 7.29 percent of their applicants, Yale 6.72 percent and Harvard 5.79 percent.

According to investigative journalist and award winning author, Alexandra Robbins, students feel the pressures of the rising standards even after high school.

“They are left feeling if they cannot be a success by age 25 then they are failures,” Robbins said.

This feeling is becoming more and more common especially with the spread of what Robbins calls “overachiever culture.” This concept is one that pushes students to the next level for success, but in some instances, it pushes them over the edge.

“You’re rushing yourself and stressing out so much that you don’t notice you still have your whole life ahead of you,” senior Brandon Olivas said. “Sometimes we just need to take a breath and get some perspective.”