hey, I’m a fellow high school senior and I have some advice for you. I’ve also had to make sacrifices to achieve stats like yours. I think you should start choosing to do at least one thing a day that makes you happy (not including school stuff). Spend 20 minutes reading a new book or listening to a podcast. Go for a run. Snuggle your pets. Watch an old Disney movie with your friends. I know what it feels like to feel as though everything is hinging on college admissions and academics. I’ve felt misunderstood when someone tells me to relax. The only thing that really helps with the stress of all this is to be kind to yourself.
College admissions can feel harsh and personal. It can feel like some admissions officer who’s never met you sat down one day and found fault with you as a person. But I really think that much of it is impersonal- and I mean that in a good way. The schools that chose not to accept you weren’t making a conscious choice to reject you because they didn’t like you. They didn’t accept you because they didn’t believe you were the right fit for whatever class they are trying to create. This is not on you. You did everything you could.
Whoever you are, you’ll be successful someday. So what if you don’t change the world at Swarthmore? You’ll do just as well somewhere else. Go eat a bowl of ice cream and watch Mulan on Netflix. You’re going to be just fine.
Sincerely,
Someone Who Gets It (: