By Anand Giduthuri
Rejection is something we all face at some point, and it comes in countless forms to tear us apart from the inside. Whether it be getting curved yet again by someone we fancy or passed over for a job by someone else, the disappointment in feeling like we aren’t “good enough” is something we’ll feel throughout our lives. However, as May comes to an end, many of us seniors feel this disappointment as a result of the dreaded, yet exciting, college decision season.
We all have dream schools, and to those in the Class of 2020 who earned a seat in those schools, congratulations. With the effort you’ve put into these past four years, you deserve nothing less. However, to the rest of us seniors, I understand how difficult it is to hear, “Everything happens for a reason,” for the millionth time. Once rejection letters and waitlists start piling up, it’s easy to think that college admission committees have completely invalidated your high school career. But I urge you to think back to these past four years, chock full of memories of success, failure, and growth. Remember your freshman year. Can some random group of adults halfway across the nation see how much you’ve developed solely from a few essays you write about weirdly specific topics? No. Do those same people, who spend less than ten minutes considering your application, know about the relationships you’ve formed with your peers and teachers? No. Only you do. You are the best judge of yourself, never forget that.
In this time, envy can also flood our minds. How did Timothy get into X University but not me? I have way better stats and extracurriculars. It’s not fair. Despite seething bitterness, we put on a smile and say, “Congratulations, you deserve this more than anyone.” This jealousy is difficult to acknowledge, but it’s important that we do. Timothy will be attending X University in the fall, and you will not. However, especially as an upstanding Westmont student, it’s important to show compassion to your friend Timothy, and express gratitude for the other opportunities you have. A rejection letter from X University isn’t the end of the world. I know how callous that sounds, but the next four years of our lives are just that: four years. Just like high school, they’ll go by in a flash, and whether you go to X University or not, know that you will succeed regardless.
To the Class of 2021, I sympathize with your anger and discomfort with the changes to your college application experience due to the ongoing pandemic. The situation with standardized tests can only be described as icky, and a pass/fail grading system for what is perhaps the most important semester seems unfair. While you continue to build your college applications, keep in mind that students across the nation are in similar academic circumstances, so don’t fret! College admissions are more than just grades and test scores—even perfect sophomore and junior year grades with a perfect SAT/ACT score have never been enough to earn admission to every UC. College applications are just one part of high school; it’s silly to get worked up over them for reasons outside of your control. Believe in yourselves and all that you’ve accomplished throughout high school, and I’m sure that you will thrive.
Come September, us seniors will attend our selected colleges or begin our journeys in the workforce (hopefully, if the Covid-19 situation gets better). Once we settle into our futures, the grief and anxiety about college decisions will feel nothing short of trivial. Everything happens for a reason. Once you take your first step on campus, you’ll realize that you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.