I’m going to college because I feel like I haven’t thoroughly learned about the stuff I care about: theater, creative writing, and cinema. I also can’t wait to take classes in subjects I never could in high school, like Japanese Cinema, or the History of Pirates.
At first, I was positive I wanted to attend a liberal arts college in a city. The University of Richmond was one of my top choices. It was in a warmer location than my home state. It was near a city, had great study abroad numbers, and offered every possible area of study I was interested in. When I toured, I saw more personality from the students, than pretty much any other school.
I also had a good number of women’s colleges on my list because I believe that the dynamic of a classroom changes when there are no boys in it. Learning in a space that was made specifically for female voices was super intriguing.
My extracurriculars (plays, sketch comedy, mock trial) stood out more than my GPA and test scores. I did a lot of creative writing on my own, and so I hoped my essay would also distinguish me. But writing it was hellish! I wrote about the table read for my senior thesis play, and how opening it up to the whole cast was both terrifying and enlightening. I hoped it would show that I was passionate, hardworking, and able to overcome and learn from scary situations. I wrote 15 different drafts and changed it pretty drastically two days before my applications were due. By the end, I completely hated it.
A week before I submitted my applications, I sat in my room staring at my Common App, feeling like I could barely breathe. Suddenly, I was full of dread that I wouldn’t be happy at any of the colleges on my list. I thought I had no chance of getting in at Barnard, Emory, or Richmond, and all my other schools were either safeties (which I had a weird complex about not wanting to attend) or located in rural areas. I was scared of being isolated in the middle of nowhere without anyone I knew.
At the last minute, I applied to five more colleges that were either near cities, or schools where I knew people who were applying or attending. Ultimately, putting in the extra work gave me peace of mind.
When I found out I had been waitlisted by Richmond, I just sobbed in my kitchen. It felt like a punch in the gut. I had put so much work into my essays and interviews--even flying out to visit the school--it was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
After narrowing down by acceptances to the schools my family could afford, I was left with Agnes Scott, Emory, and Oberlin. I hadn’t toured these schools, so I visited them by myself over a two-day period.
Emory didn’t feel as welcoming as I had hoped, and I found its workaholic culture off-putting. Agnes Scott was a gorgeous little school, but I worried that I wouldn’t have as many arts opportunities there. At Oberlin I happened to meet a senior with my exact double major. She gave me a good sense of the classroom environment and opportunities, but I was still unsure. I didn’t have an “aha” moment where I thought “Oh! This is where I’m supposed to be!”
As I boarded the plane home, I texted my mom that I had no idea how I would make a decision.
Once I was in the air, I thought about what I wanted at the beginning, and the things that really mattered to me. I wanted a liberal arts college, I wanted a school that felt like a community, and I wanted a place where I could pursue the arts at an elevated level.
I thought about my experience visiting Oberlin—touring its classically beautiful campus, having dinner at midnight with two students who kept gushing about how much they loved the school, watching a play in the round put on by unbelievably talented student actors… and it finally clicked. I remember feeling this wave of relief. When my mom picked me up at the terminal, the first thing I told her was that I was choosing Oberlin.
|
Sydney - UC Berkeley "I was prepared to be rejected from all my reach schools and I tried not to have a clear favorite. I didn't want to get my hopes up." |
|
|
Gabby - Xavier University "Not taking care of yourself during the college application process only leads to stress and tears." |
|