“A decision is not a measurement of your worth. A decision does not validate or invalidate your life or experiences. A decision is not a culminating experience or the end of the world.”
-Latasha Boyd, “A Letter for You”
We are entering the final stage of the college admissions process. In the next two weeks, the last decisions will be released and seniors will have one month to decide where they will matriculate in August. This period can be intense because some of the most selective schools are the last ones to send their letters (or emails) to their applicants. For some students, it is the culmination of years of sleepless nights, sacrifice and hard work. And when the letter is positive, it can all feel worth it. But when you are applying to a college with a sub-10% acceptance rate, that acceptance letter is hard to come by. And when a student is rejected from a school after the sleepless nights, sacrifice and hard work, it can be bitterly disappointing; perhaps the biggest disappointment that a teenager has ever experienced.
I found a lovely piece on the MIT admissions blog about this very issue. Despite MIT’s stunningly low admissions rate, they have an inviting blog about college admissions that could help anyone. As Latasha Boyd says, “Your story is not wasted if you do not receive an affirmative decision.”
I often tell clients with strong profiles that they are going to be in the pile of admissible students, but the school might not pick them from that pile to be accepted. I find that students understand this and it can help if they do not get the answer they were hoping for. I hope that Latasha Boyd’s piece gives you perspective whether you are admitted to your college of choice or not.
