Hey guys!

I couldn't start this post without sharing how much time I have left on this little rock: 15 days! The more I think about it the more anxious I get, so I'll save the sappy stuff for a later post. Instead, I wanted to make this post more relative to those high school seniors out there who will be starting to get their decisions back.

By now, if you applied early, you will start to receive more and more news from your school. Actually, it doesn't matter what time you applied because the closer you get to decisions the more news you'll be hearing. 

In my case, I applied early to Cornell. Right up until my decision was released I had been receiving emails from the University on almost a constant basis. I got emails about my program, financial aid, and even just general news about the school. In fact, there was even one time where I got an email reminding me about financial aid deadlines and asking that I clarify Cornell is the school for me (of course at the time it was). And then, last year on the day of decisions, I sat down in my living room alongside my family and hit the link that would decide the rest of my life. 

Denied. 

In fact, I didn't even read the entire email. When you read the words, "We regret to inform you-" everything else kind of becomes blurry. I read the beginning and told my family I didn't get in, to which they responded with, "Okay, time to focus on the other schools." Which in hindsight is probably the best advice one receives, because even though there's a good chance you'll have your heart set on your first school, if you are denied admission than there is nothing you can do. I could not appeal, could not reapply, I could only move on. 

The point is, your decision, good or bad, is not the end of you. If you got in to the school you applied to- congratulations! But this doesn't mean you can slack off and call it good. Schools (and this goes for every school) still wants to make sure you're putting in some effort at school. If your grades take a dip, you run the risk of getting your decision rescinded, or, in simpler terms, you might not be accepted anymore. 

On the flip side, if you didn't get in, you're not alone. It's perfectly normal to feel discouraged, but you shouldn't let this decision blind you from giving your other schools the same amount of attention you gave the first school. In many cases, it isn't that you weren't a good candidate, but the school just doesn't have room. While your chances of being admitted to schools are typically higher if applying under early admission, it isn't something that's guaranteed. 

I'm a firm believer in that everything happens for a reason. So whatever your decision turns out to be, just think of this to be what's best for you. If I had been accepted to Cornell, nothing would be the same. No blog, an assumably harder coarse load, and a poor mood because the weather would be horrible. Additionally, there's no beach near Cornell, so I would not be enjoying myself like I do here. Trust me, things are going to work out. 


And really, is it so bad that I'm going to school in Hawaii versus New York? With views like this it really is hard to feel like I'm missing out.