Howdy, Chelsea Dagger!
I'm a senior in high school, and I've been applying to colleges and now I'm hearing back from them.
I applied to 3 schools, all good women's colleges in New England. My top choice was a fancy-shmancy school in Massachusetts that we'll call Schmith. I applied Early Decision at Schmith and waited a month to hear back. Well, last night was the night that the admissions decisions were posted online...and I didn't get in. I didn't get deferred admissions, and I didn't get them telling me to reapply next year...They said, "Thanks for applying, but you're not coming here, sista!"
Since I've applied elsewhere, I'm not concerned about not going to college. I got accepted at a more local school, with a good scholarship. I'll hear back from another school in January, and I'm applying to a few other places, just in case. But now that I haven't gotten into Schmith, I don't really know how to imagine my college experience. I feel weird that I'll be settling when it comes to my education. What do I do?
Dear Schmith or Bust,
First things first: get out your typewriter, put on your finest “I’m scathing furious” face, and bang out a letter to those clowns at Schmith that reads simply, “YOU JUST MADE THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF YOUR LIVES, SUCKAS.” Sign it, “Bill Gates’ Hand-Selected Successor,” and sign it in BLOOD. Then, throw the letter away.
You’re allowed to feel slighted, frustrated, bitter, and confused for a solid three days after you find out you didn’t get into your top choice. After that, it’s time to pick your forehead up off the floor and move on to bigger and better things.
So college won’t be exactly as you imagined—but maybe that’s not a bad thing. When our futures go according to plan, there’s no room for spontaneity, surprises, or spaghetti fights, and a life without spaghetti fights is a life void of meaning. It’s important that you don’t view this change of course as a negative; instead, look at it as an opportunity.
Stop thinking that you’ll be “settling” by attending a school that you hadn’t considered a top choice and start thinking that you’ll be scoring a future full of the unexpected. Sure, that sounds cheesy and ridiculous, but so does “EXPECTO PATRONUM,” and we all know where that phrase can get you.
Now, unpack your pre-bought “Schmith” gear and prepare to get crafty: with some scissors, a few Snickers bars, and a bucket-load of ingenuity, you can turn those collegiate sweatshirts and baseball caps into some real good-lookin’ piñatas. Bust out the baseball bats, kiddo. It’s time to swing for the fences, no matter where you end up.
Anyone else deal with crushing rejection recently? Spill. It'll make us you feel better.
Got a college question for Dagger? Send it to advice@sparknotes.com!
By: Chelsea_Dagger
Topics: Advice
Tags: college, rejection, dagger university
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