Every day after school the same disappointing events occur: I run to the mailbox, hurriedly search through the mail, and walk dejectedly away empty handed. It’s just another day without any news from the seven colleges I applied to in early October. The stress of not knowing is slowly eating away at any hope I have to get into my top choice schools. What if they don’t want me? Why haven’t I heard? These are just some of the questions that are constantly running through my head. I honestly don’t think the undergraduate admission offices realize the stress that they put on every high school senior when they put the dates you will get your acceptance or denial letter farther and farther away.
The stress that colleges put on you eats away at your very core and slowly diminishes your hopes and dreams. Suddenly the waiting game is actually a fight to keep your sanity intact. As sleepless nights cloud your mind and the heavy workload brings down your spirits, it’s no wonder why we are so stressed. The one happiness we, as high school seniors, long for is the day that the letter finally arrives. The day we hear back from colleges can be one of the happiest – whether it be an acceptance or a denial, at least we’ve heard back.
The only thing that could possibly make the day this worse is if the waiting game is continued. For example, if one were to receive deferral from one of his or her colleges, this leads to another few months of the sleepless nights, days of worrying and the inevitable stress. It also leads to grades becoming increasingly important. It is no longer acceptable for that one C to make its way onto your report card like any other day. Suddenly the only things that are acceptable are As.
Oh and let’s not forget the magic 3.5 GPA that colleges once thought was the cream of the crop. No it’s now a perfect 4.0. But what if you don’t have a 4.0? Do you think they will still want you?
Will they ever accept me?
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