Rejection is a part of life

What are the ingredients necessary for a satisfying resolution to apply for early decision? First, you must have a well-qualified student who seems up for the task of competing against the best of the best in the nation. When that is satisfied, you must have a campus that is on par with the student’s highest standards of what he or she wants as a new home for four years. And finally, you must have a student’s commitment to give his or her all into completing the application for the particular school so that it is timely and brilliant.

Now, what are the ingredients necessary for a positive result when applying for early decision? One acceptance letter. The moral of my college application story is that it does not take much to obtain the qualifying ingredients, but very few are able to truly cook a successful story.

It has now been over a month since my rejection from the school I applied early decision on. Afterward, I had to deal with the reality that my dream school is nothing but a dream (and that I should not have procrastinated on all my other applications.) And to all those people who are either underclassmen or haven’t applied to either early decision or early action, yes the impact of a rejection letter can be horribly painful. It is something that, even now, I feel uncomfortable mentioning or talking about.

But then again, looking at it objectively, it is only one single rejection. A rejection that is in line with the statistics. A rejection that many smart and talented people across the nation have received. A rejection that should not and does not mean anything.

For the seniors who have been rejected from their dream schools, now is not the time to be depressed. In fact, from this point on, the time that follows should be seen as the greatest time of your whole high school career. Applications are done, classes and grades seem to have less of a tug, and opportunities are plentiful for students looking to do the things they have always wanted during what could be seen as the most stressful four years in a person’s life.

It is the time to go to your first sporting event and flaunt that school spirit you never knew you had. It is the time to spend time with friends and check out the amazing activities offered by the community you might not be seeing much of in a few months. And yes, it is the time to obtain the full high school experience that you might not have cared to receive earlier on. Dress up for spirit days, head out to school events and dances, and do everything high school has to offer (I have always wanted to know what detention is like at DBHS.)

Many seniors have already accomplished amazing things the previous seven semesters of high school. Therefore, especially now that there is little we can do to actually influence the results, let us spend this period and relax. That does not mean giving up on academics, but instead means to stop murdering others the moment you receive an A- instead of an A, and enjoy what the community has to offer.

And most of all, do not fear those rejection letters. I haven’t finished AP statistics yet, but I am pretty sure over 99 percent of you all will receive one, if not for college then for internships, jobs, or from members of the opposite gender. It does not define who you are.

And for those who did get accepted into their early decision or action schools, I am very, very happy for you (and not bitter at all.)