<p>Well this is a letter to myself, a short one actually. I am writing one for myself to read at my HS graduation, but this one is strictly for the BS process. So feel free to write one to yourself in this thread. Here it goes:
Dear LaDi-andyouareobnoxiousforthislongname,
You made it. Despite the many sleepless nights, the unreasonable lurking on CC, and the constant comparisons between yourself and brilliant applicants, you freaking made it. You did it. Remember that this almost did not happen because of your low self esteem. You may have been rejected from the one school you applied to. Go ahead and cry right now, but you're not finished reading this. Come back after hanging with your two amigos Ben and Jerry ;) . You may have been accepted ( in this case go to another room and scream, if you wake your father who works the graveyard shift, you may not live to attend boarding school.). You made it. You have learned a lot and you still submitted that application, took this seriously, and you invested time in your education. Congratulations. You did this while meeting some wonderful people who are in love with physics and the universe ;) . Your grades were not good and you did not have a perfect PSAT score, those do not define you. You are actually quite amazing. You went out and grabbed the bull by its horns. You told yourself you were going to apply to BS and you did it. I commend you for your excellent job. The journey does not end here. You're sitting here reading this, you're not dead. You've still got things to do and the world will go on whether you attend your dream school or not. You will still be an astrophysicist. You may not want to be one in a few days, years, or decades. You're not going to die just because your file did not attain a certain score on a scale, end up on the right side of a table, or earned a certain stamp or sticker. You'll be fine. The universe is out there for you to discover and you really do have so many chances to succeed. The past is the past and you must move on. Now go for a fun, watch a Stephen Hawking documentary, and do some fun math problems. Treat yourself. You deserve it. Here's to the end of another volume of your life. Cue the credits and the Beatles' "I Feel Fine." </p>
<p>Haha this is great! I really liked the Ben and Jerry part.</p>
<p>[one of] mine goes like this:</p>
<p>So, you got rejected? Keep your head held high, take your own advice for once. Wipe your tears (and if you’re crying stop crying). Hey; you tried. Thats more than a lot of other people, right? You also convinced mom to be on board with this stuff too. And hey- there is always next year. You did accomplish something. You learned how to properly handshake, you learned how to rent a car and schedule appointments. You now know how to book a train ticket. And in 10 minutes you’ll know how to polish off a pint of ice cream in five minutes. There’s always next year, show Middlesex then that they missed out on admitting you then. It’s only 365 more days. Go vent to your friends. I know it’s going to seem like the end of the world, but the truth is that it isn’t. Everything happens for a reason, remember that. No matter what happens, you tried. You gave full effort, you did everything they asked you to. Just because you weren’t admitted does not mean that you aren’t good enough. You ARE. Remember, you are the author to your story. If you don’t like how it ends, change it. You can do that next year. You’ll come out alive. Now, what are you waiting for? Go get your ice cream and watch Peter Pan!</p>
<p>Dear Future JerseyGirl999,
WIPE THOSE TEARS, YOU ARE ALIVE! You got past M10 and everything is fine! I don’t know what high school you got into but I can tell you that I know you are smiling right now 
wherever you are I know that you don’t regret anything. You wouldn’t want to change anything because everything happens for a reason. Whether you are in Exeter or that ghetto high school in your town… I know that you are smiling. 
You know what a little birdie told me? She told me that it’s not the school that gives their students value… It’s the students give value to the school. After all those hours in the car with your dad, all those times you had to wear that blazer, all the essays, the junk mail all the schools mailed you, hysterically arguing with your parents, and of course the coffee in the admission waiting room I know that whereever you are you are smiling right now. I know that you tried your best all those efforts paid off in one way or the other. Everyone is SUPER proud of you (whether they show it or not). Whatever path you are on I know that it’s going to lead somewhere great because you know what…even the rockiest, twisting, scary paths can end in paradise. I know what you are thinking… did I really just use that metaphor… Yes…yes I did. I may not have gotten the perfect ssat score or had the perfect app but I know PERFECTLY well that on your first day of high school you smiled. I also know that you laughed. You know what else I’m sure of… I’m sure that you were surrounded by the friendliest faces helping you through every twist and turn. Now if you got into your school of choice…CONGRAAAAAATS I’m sooooo happy for you and I hope that remember this important journey. If you got rejected to all your schools…SCREW THEM you were too fabulous for them anyway and I know that you are going to have the BEST four years of your life no matter what. But from wherever you start I know that your destination in four years will be the same. You will become the awesomest doctor at the most AWESOMEST college ever and I know that because you are smiling right now:) I know that you will make the best of it wherever you are. A little birdie told me that success is not possible without failure use this letter to remind yourself where you came from and to make the best of even the worst situations. And also use this letter to remember how AWESOME I was in the eighth grade to write you this ;). I worked my hardest and now it’s your turn to return the favor and to be the AWESOMEST jersey girl hehehehe. And remember to smile… Because this is just the beginning… </p>
<p>WHY WERE MY EYES SWEATING THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE LETTER :(( </p>
<p>Dear future whyamievenhere (yes future you still has a dumb username),
You probably were rejected from your three schools so allow some time to feel sorry for yourself and then move on. You knew right from the start how low your odds were, being from an over-represented country with your screwed-up grades and last minute decision to apply and rushed essays. You didn’t properly research your schools and misguidedly went for the most selective ones. But it’s over and all that doesn’t matter any more. Throw yourself into your studies and work hard for your IGCSEs in May. Just because you were rejected doesn’t mean this whole application process was a waste of time- it humbled you and now you know how much you need to do for your college applications. Staying in your current school isn’t bad at all, look on the bright side: now you won’t have to leave your best friends! And lastly, I know you’ve been worrying about what people will say when they find out you got rejected/waitlisted at all three schools. IT DOESN’T MATTER. What they think of you DOESN’T MATTER. Just continue to work hard, these are only the first few rejections you’ll have to deal with and there will be so many more in the course of your lifetime. Take it in stride and grow from it. The real deal is college- THAT is what you can’t screw up.
And if against all odds, you were accepted… congratu-freaking-lations, you’re going to have the time of your life, being independent and learning and exploring different courses and living in a dorm and making new friends. Don’t get arrogant though, god forbid you start boasting. Keep it only to yourself, your family, your close friends and the people who actually ask you. This is a huge deal and an amazing accomplishment, but HUMILITY. </p>