Seniors! I know this COVID situation really did not make your last year of high school as great as you thought it would be. And to add to the stress, you're also getting accepted and declined from colleges. For me personally, doing college apps was the worst time mentally. Especially because I am not a very academically 'strong' student. I felt so anxious waiting to receive letters from colleges and already convinced myself I wasn't going to get in anywhere. I applied to 24 colleges, sadly, got denied from 8 (all of which were the really good/top schools), but I got into a lot of my reach schools. But the fact that I got into 13 schools didn't matter...why? because I didn't get into that one school. Looking back, I can't say I was really disappointed. Partly because I had already convinced myself I wouldn't get in, but also because my heart felt like it should be somewhere else. Especially in Indian households, we're convinced that a school will determine our worth and once we get in, we will somehow be validated as 'smart' I let this mentality get to me and felt bad about not getting into a school that I didn't even want to go to. I just felt bad because everyone I knew got in...and I didn't. Shortly after that, I found out unexpectedly that I got into a realllyyyyy good school (emphasis on the really). And it was even better than the one I got rejected from surprisingly. I found out that I got into my major of psychology as well...and this was all because of my extracurriculars. I just want to say, through personal experience, that one college doesn't validate who you are. I've met so many other people like me who don't think they're cut out for all the 'book smart' stuff. And that's okay! You don't have to be. What's meant for you, will come for you. Trust in that. I like to remind myself of a saying "go where the tide takes you, not where the fish swim" Sure, you might not have got into the school everyone else got into, but are you going to base your future off of someone's validation? I know for Indian households, name brands are everything. It's better to say you got into Harvard than a college that no one really knows. But that's exactly why there are so many colleges and universities in the U.S. because your future is nor a topic of bragging, or a 'one-size-fits-all' selection. Know that only YOU can make the right choice for yourself. I promise, you are waiting for more. I can't say I'd be the best person for advice on how to get into Harvard...but I can help by telling you that I'm rooting for you and no one else's opinion of your college choice matters more than what you want to do. Plus, it doesn't matter as much what college you go to, it matters what you do with that education and environment. Love you. You got this.
-Astha
March 26th, 2020
