For high school seniors, it has reached that dreaded point of the school year where college decisions have started being released. Being that it has been right around one year since I was in the same predicament, I figured that it would be appropriate to discuss some things I think are important to remember, as well as share the things that I myself learned during my experience.
I think that the first thing that anyone entering this process has to develop is "tough skin". What do I mean by that? You have to be able to roll with the punches. Rejections are going to come your way, and no one ever wants to be told 'no', but it happens. The best thing to do is to learn how to take things in stride, so that you're not a hysterical mess when the rejection letters come.
As far as my personal experience, I received A LOT of rejection letters. That's mainly because I applied to 17 schools, though. (ALERT. ALERT. DO NOT DO WHAT I DID. I DO NOT RECOMMEND IT AT ALL. DO NOT APPLY TO 17 SCHOOLS.) Luckily, I was not too phased by it, because I didn't have much of a preference for which school I wanted to go to in the first place.
As far as expectations... I recommend that everyone go into the college admission process with fair thinking and a level head. Weigh your options, and realistically consider your chances for getting into realistic school. Don't hype yourself up, but don't sell yourself short either. I mean...look at me.
I think it is MOST IMPORTANT that students realize that this process isn't something that necessarily determines the fate of rest of their life, nor their wealth. No admissions board will be able to see you for the person that you truly are. That being said, standardized test scores, personal essays and teacher recommendations DO NOT represent who you are. I have seen too many students get depressed because they don't think their SAT score is "good enough", or because they got rejected from a particular school. It is key to realize that a) SAT scores LITERALLY REPRESENT NOTHING in the real world, and b) being rejected from a school is not the end of the world. I have to tell people all the time: there is no one path to get to where you want to go. You don't have to go to an Ivy League school to be successful in the industry of your choice, and you don't have to be picture-perfect on a resume to land your dream job. (And let's be honest; those are usually the ones that have the personality of a cardboard box.) As long as you have a goal and are serious about accomplishing it, you can get there any way you desire.
My biggest advice to high school seniors?: Lighten up. This applies especially to the ones who are tied for the number one ranking in their class, or pushing their GPA up to a 4.50. SERIOUSLY. LIGHTEN UP. Don't take life too seriously. If you do, it'll be hard to accept things as they are in college, and, moving forward, life in general. Trust me, I'm not speaking from the outside looking in. I used to be that kid who cried rivers when I got a 95 instead of 100% on an assignment. I was lucky enough to learn to not be so hard on myself in my latter years of high school. I run into these kids all the time: they cruised through high school, and now that school is hard and they aren't getting straight A's, they basically face a mental meltdown. It is something that takes time to develop, and it absolutely pays off to be more relaxed about life before it starts getting more real.
Honestly, guys, don't worry too much. You've done your part; the rest is out of your control, so there's no use in losing much sleep over it. At the end of the day, YOU are not defined by any electronic application or acceptance/rejection letter. So smile, and enjoy the last months of high school that you have left. (:
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