Dear High School Seniors,
I get it. For those of you planning on pursuing a college education, right now is a crazy, emotional time. Some of you are ecstatic, having received an acceptance that you’ve been dreaming of for years, but - more likely than not - most of you are existing in a state of limbo; maybe you got rejected from your dream school and don’t know where to go now, or perhaps you were waitlisted and now have to wait even longer for a decision. I’m here to tell you that I understand what you’re going through and that, regardless of how you feel now, it will all work out.
I applied to seventeen schools my senior year, and I was waitlisted at five of them. Yes, five, so for those of you currently stressing over that situation, I understand. It’s frustrating and upsetting and weird, and you’re caught in a state of passive waiting, which is arguably the worst place one can be.
But let me tell you something, dear seniors; it’s all going to be okay, regardless of the outcome.
I believe that if you make an active choice to adopt the mindset that everything happens for a reason, you can look back and find reasons for everything that happened in your past. After a long month and a half on the waitlist in the spring of my senior year, I was accepted to my dream school, which I now attend. Looking back, I realize now what that time I spent on the waitlist did for me: it humbled me.
Over the course of my senior year, I was told so many times that I was a shoo-in for this school that I began to believe it myself. What that time on the waitlist gave me was a sense of how privileged I was to receive my acceptance, and that feeling of appreciation and gratitude has remained with me to this day.
In the midst of a particularly stressful week, I always take a moment to step back and remind myself how fortunate I am to be here. I am lucky to have a midterm to study for. I am lucky to have a ten-page paper to write. I am lucky to be getting an incredible education at an incredible institution. Because I got in off the waitlist, I appreciate attending this school so much more than I would have or could have had I been accepted regular decision. As a result of this, I don’t regret those seemingly countless weeks I spent waiting for an acceptance; I appreciate them.
The moral of the story is this: seniors, you cannot possibly recognize it now, but this process has changed you for the better. Those of you who are struggling now will ultimately grow as people in the coming months, and you’ll learn a heck of a lot about yourselves. I know that I am not the same person who was eagerly awaiting her acceptance last March, but I see that as a good thing. I love who I am and where I am, and I can assure you that, with time and the right mindset, you will come to feel the same. So, as you venture on into your futures, keep those heads high, and remember that you are all incredibly intelligent individuals with the capacity to accomplish any task you set your mind to, as long as you are able to see the good in tough situations.
Love,
A College Freshman
