Full Circle

Mock trial state 2014! Very rad experience. 

Hi everyone! My life is crazy right now. Really crazy. Tis the week where I hear back from every college ever. There have definitely been some surprises throughout the college process and I have two schools (as of now) that I really love. I get very attached, very easily so making a decision even from these two will not be easy. If you are a high school student in the US, perhaps this information will be beneficial and helpful!! If not, keep reading to see what an emotional cycle college applications are.
First things first, everyone has worked hard these past four years and the name of a college doesn't define how much you've worked. Each college has a special preference of who they want to pick and sometimes it really comes down to randomness. As one of my friends put it: "My grandpa was working on the admission board to Harvard. He loves that school and donates so much to it every year. He was saying how sometimes when you have 8 great candidates and the amazing trombone player just graduated, it's a matter of seeing which candidate is able to play the trombone." It's not a reflection of who you are and what you've accomplished. Another close friend was consoling me by saying we take away so much more from high school than the name of a college. Keep your chins up and just know that you will go where you are meant to be.

This past weekend at Mock Trial State was exciting and disappointing all at once. I met some cool people but there is always that underlying awkwardness of feeling like an outsider. It was a good experience of putting myself out there and being able to be assertive about me and the fact that I do indeed exist. I didn't get into a school that I was pretty confident that I could get into. It's no surprise now because they only chose 6% of 100,000+ people who applied this year. They usually accept 22%. It still really stung. I didn't get into the most acclaimed school of journalism either. I was waitlisted and that hurt a lot. It hurt knowing I was so close but not close enough. It hurt knowing that if I had worked just a little bit harder that I could've maybe gone there. But that school is just not where I'm meant to be.

Today I found out about another school in Boston that I didn't necessarily ever imagine myself going to. It's really expensive and famous for not giving much financial aid, something VERY important for my family. I got into the honors college which I'm still in disbelief about and they're willing to finance my whole tuition. It's suddenly become a really valid option.

So my dilemma today (most of my colleges come out this week so we'll see what kind of state I'm in next time I write) is between these 2 really awesome colleges in Boston.

One is a very small all girl's school that encourages double majors, club activities, and a really free curriculum. You can take whatever you want and there aren't that many restrictions. They have made it clear that they would like me at their school. I'm visiting later in April because they're paying for the plane ticket, a limo is picking me (and other people in this program) up, and for the entire stay and food.

The other school is totally the opposite. It's a hugeee school but this honor's program forces you to live with the other people in the program. You have little seminar classes as well as classes in your home school. A study abroad is kind of out of the question and so is a double major due to these other requirements. You do get a boatload of internships and some really quality professors.

In short, I'm completely torn and the other schools that I would absolutely love haven't even come out yet. There are always some disappointments but there are surprises too. Don't let the bad news get you down :)