What happened after college application season?
After taking a drastic long break from the exhaustion of being pressured from college applications season, I finally knocked down to a single college in mind. The sense of relief that a person could get from committing to a college is one of the best feelings I have ever had. It is undoubtedly one of the most stressful periods for us high school seniors. It is the process that a student’s journey must partake in, going so far as to cramming in a productive summer prior to their senior year. What is it that students do after the storm is over?
The waiting game for hearing from your colleges is nerve-wracking as the process itself on applying to them. I myself, have checked my email multiple times a day to check for updates regarding my application status, of course, being overwhelmed with that took a toll on me as a student while trying to finish the school year strong. Soon, I had already found out what it was beyond the application status.
The sense of excitement that a person can get from a single acceptance letter is much similar to of a door that opens up a new gate for them… If a rejection letter comes, it is like a sense of disappointment within themselves and eventually, beating themselves up because they didn’t get in. Learning from my counselor, a rejection is simply redirection, you will still make your way to that school no matter what as long as you keep pursuing it, whether it would be through grad school or even for a doctorate degree.
A story that I have heard from my high school counselor was that his friend had been rejected from a college, a college that he deemed to be his dream school for business. He applied again as a transfer, but was ultimately rejected again. He kept pursuing his goals, and continued applied again for post-graduate school, but ultimately again, got rejected as well.. Not until his doctorate, where they finally accepted him to the school of business. It takes resilience to get back on the track you had dreamed of being on, but once again, rejection is redirection.
Being rejected or waitlisted becomes a difficult time, especially if they’re from your dream school, but I want to let you know that no matter what, you will still thrive without the dream school you loved since you were a child. I want you to appreciate the efforts that you’ve made for yourself, and that nobody could compare to you when it comes to evaluating yourself. You are attempting to bring a new version of yourself everyday. It is not a reflection of yourself, and you are the only one that can evaluate that factor.
The aftermath of college applications for me, became a reflection and growth to take on the future opportunities to evaluate my own priorities and what I believe to pursue in the near future. No matter what, it is necessary to move forward and never give up your goals if your dream school rejects you.
