Many high school students have begun 'applying for college'. [=asking to be accepted as students at colleges or universities by filling out and sending applications]
He was able to stop the bleeding by 'applying' pressure to the cut. [=by pressing on/against the cut]
We can handle these problems effectively if we 'apply' the lessons learned from past experiences.
(..) Yeah, okay, maybe. See, why I don't look like that? -Yeah. Just once I'd like to have the song “New York Groove” play and feel like it really applies to my life. You've never even been to New York. That's why I'm applying to New York colleges. Do you know if Sarah Lawrence is actually in the city? (..)2017 Lady Bird