The World May Never Know

The coming week and a half will be when the majority of admission decisions are released nationwide - leaving seniors across the country celebrating, sobbing, or in purgatory between the two. In advance of most of these decisions being released, I encourage seniors to remember that 10 or 15 years from now this time will be one of many emotionally volatile times in your life. Yes, college admission is important. Yes, it can impact the direction of your life. But no, it won't define you.

I've posted before about how gifts can initially look like challenges and challenges can initially look like gifts. But in this post I'd like to comment on the temptation you may feel to question how or why things happened as they did. The answer is: you'll never know. Was it your SATs? Was it that math grade? Was it that someone else had cured cancer and you hadn't? The truth is, the answer could be yes. But worrying about that now won't help you in the slightest. Don't fixate on the reason. Don't hypothesize about why your friend got in and you didn't. (Or, even less advisable, why your enemy got in and you didn't). The fact is you have NO way to know. As a former admission officer I can tell you that while you try to be judicious with every decision, it is impossible over the course of 3 or 4 months to keep the exact same opinions. And professional judgement always tips the scales on one day in a way it might not the following week. Don't stress over it.  Embrace the schools where you were admitted--the schools which are, in fact, dying to have you enroll.

The rest that sent you a skinny envelope? You can re-apply for graduate school and do it all over again ;)