I think that on August 1st, everyone cries a little bit. Summer is in its last streach, the weather is about to get humid and disgusting (#DClife), and all around, the world feels against you.
For those of you who aren't American/have been living under a damn rock, the Common Application (the common app) is an online application for college. Yes, college. It opens every year on August 1st and though some schools include additional essays to apply, all, if not most, will accept the common app. Except for maybe some California schools but they're f*cking weird.
I'm not going to go into what the common app includes but it basically means that your childhood is officially over and you are about to go into the deep, dark realm of college applications. Some of us may not survive.
Warning: EXAGGERATION ALERT
Sorry. I am a drama queen and definitely not excited to start applying to colleges (class of 2015 doe) but we, as a collective senior class, are going to be fine. I know firsthand that there's a lot of stress and uncertainty when it comes to applying for colleges and the whole process feels exhausting and unfair. And guess what? It is. But that doesn't mean that we're not going to be okay. College applications are scary and maybe you feel like you have nothing to write about but it doesn't matter because take a breath and remember that everything is going to be okay. There are other options if all else fails, which, to be realistic, it probably won't.
But I know it's hard to remember sometimes that it's all going to be alright in the end so I'm going to make a little list about the common app now and just how to navigate it's deep waters with only a few stress attacks. Ready? No you're not. Let's go.
1. Don't do what I do and exaggerate everything. Colleges are not looking to fail you and flat out reject you, go in with the thinking that they are going to look at you as a whole person. Is this always the case? No, not really. But if it happens that a college doesn't look at the whole you, your extracurriculars as well as test scores and essays as well as grades, then they're not right for you. The place that you will thrive at will be looking to support you and you'll know them when you find them. Admissions officers are not going into this thinking "Oh, how many students can I reject today?" Don't over play this in your head, remember that you have to have a positive attitude or it's going to show. Stay calm and just remember that you've worked hard to get to senior year and that's an accomplishment in and of itself. Don't exaggerate everything. Harvard is not the only Mecca of intellectuals and that little college in New Hampshire is not just for "hicks". Give everyone a chance and they'll give you one.
2. You are not your grades. The system of grades was created to chart progress in a high school environment and I am 100% positive that college will be absolutely different from high school (it had better damn be... ) This means that your high school grades do not at all reflect how you'll perform in college. Yes, a 4.0 GPA looks good, but it does not guarantee you'll get into Yale and neither does a 2400 on the SATs. It might look good, but more and more, colleges today are looking at the people behind the application, not just the grades. Yes, a 4.0 can't hurt but it doesn't mean you're guaranteed a spot anywhere. This means that people who have a 4.0 - you still need to work hard and get those extracurriculars to make yourself stand out and people below a 4.0 - you're still in the running as long as you keep up the hard work! Nothing is determined yet. Your grades do not reflect your character and colleges want you, they don't want a grade. Also, there's little we as seniors can do about past grades now but try to continue to improve this year and not have a mental breakdown. Look to the future in which you can do better, and not to the past.
3. Name isn't everything and don't get caught up in sweating over a college just because it sounds prestigious! I, personally, know I'd be miserable at Princeton or Stanford and no, that's not just a lie I tell myself to make myself feel better about my not-so-shiny grades. Look at a college for where it would make you happy - not how many people would be impressed by its prestige. That's a sh*tty way to live your life and you will never really be happy. College is not for your parents or future boss, it's for you. Make sure you are comfortable in the environment and that you could be happy because you're the one spending 2/3/4 years there. Name can be impressive but what's even more impressive is someone who loves where they are and has eyes that light up when they talk about their classes, their roommate, everything. You want to be that person, not the person who's constantly stressed because they pushed themselves to be in an environment where they constantly feel rundown or unhappy. Make yourself happy with your decision!
4. No, your parents actually don't get it. Even if your parents are your literal best friends, you're going to have fights with them about college and grades and that won't be fun but it's natural. The thing I'd though, no, your parents don't know what it's like. Yes, they went to college but it was a whole different experience where it wasn't so competitive and the application process was not nearly as hard. Chances are that if our parents were to apply for college now none of them would get into where they went just because back then things were just totally different where this is concerned. Now, that doesn't mean disregard all advice they give you, but just remember that things are different and it's harder now so it's okay to think that they don't understand what it's like.
5. This is going to be fun! College is supposed to be the best years of your life and no matter where you end up, you can make it work. Staring at the common app might seem daunting yet exciting and it is! You just have to remember all throughout it that you can make this work and the only person holding you back is yourself. I don't want to sound too cheesy with this one, but just remember that everything is going to be alright in the end. It might not seem like it just yet but if you just hang on and wait, something will crop up and everything will turn out fine. Make the best of everything and even with the f*cking internationals trying to steal our spots, we're all going to be okay. Just hang in there and try to make the best of it.
The bottom line is that I know this is all very scary - I'm living it with you right now! All this advice isn't from someone who's done this before - I'm looking at the future with you and I'm scared sh*tless too. But we're going to make it and then we're going to have to find jobs and pay off the country's debt and get beer bellies - okay, you know what, let's just not think about that right now. The point is that the universe is going to make this work out for you somehow and you are going to have a chance to be happy - and also it's just August. Unless you're pressed as hell about one college, there's no need to turn anything in just yet. Take a breath, write those essays, get your application in on time, and remember we're almost done and high school is almost behind us (which we all know is the real prize!).
Have a Brettastic Day!
(Image credit: http://eplcr.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/kgpic.jpg)
(Image credit: http://eplcr.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/kgpic.jpg)