Accepted, but I still have the feeling that I haven't performed up to my standards

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>I'm not actually in college yet, but college students are probably more likely to have experienced this, having received college notification letters last year.</p>

<p>I am a senior in high school who has recently been accepted to a top liberal arts college. The letter came before the established notification date, so when I saw the thin letter on the kitchen table, I assumed it was a letter requesting more financial aid information. But when I opened it to find a letter of acceptance, I suppose the initial annoyance at having to deal with complicated tax forms should have turned into sheer happiness. Yes, I was glad, but the excitement wore off in a matter of a couple of hours.</p>

<p>Shouldn't I be more excited for my future? Are my perfectionist tendencies prompting me to reject success? I've always a bit of an overachiever, but right now, I really want to find that balance in my life. I had wanted to pursue a practical and lucrative career like medicine, but after recently finding that my interests were more aligned with the humanities, I've prepared myself for a major in sociology, psychology, or philosophy. Wanting to do something just for the pleasure of it was a huge step for me. I thought it meant that I'd be happy once I let myself fit into the square peg that I'm meant to fit into.</p>

<p>College is supposed to be a time of self-discovery, and I've been looking forward to it for so long. I don't have any apprehensions about college life or living away from home, or much about college in general, and I think that when it's time to go, I'll be beyond excited to be starting on a new path. I put a lot of effort into my college apps so that I would have options between many good schools. It looks like I have that now, but why am I still not satisfied with myself? How do I feel proud of myself, and happy that my hard work paid off?</p>

2

<p>Cognitive dissonance-or “buyer’s remorse”</p>

3

<p>I haven’t committed to the school yet, though.</p>

4

<p>You don’t!</p>

<p>In the words of JayZ, “On to the next one!”</p>

5

<p>Maybe in the back of your head you had a pretty good feeling you’d get in, so it didn’t come as a surprise.</p>

<p>You’ll probably get more and more excited as they send you new student information (if you choose to attend), get closer to orientation and starting school, etc.</p>

6

<p>Contrary to what you might thing just watching TV, it is not normal for people to just spend a week going :smiley: after something good happens to them. This is especially true with college admissions, because getting that acceptance letter makes it very real that you only have a few months left of your childhood. If you were as excited as you think you should be, that would indicate to me that you don’t really understand the transition you’re going to make.</p>