<p>I was a typical CCer, like you: nervous; bold; ambitious; excited; perhaps a tad naive (by the way, I didn’t use any of those adjectives to describe myself on my applications – though my teachers might have). :D I remember excitedly checking every thread that showed even the slightest semblance of relevance to Ivy admissions. CC was, in general, a very supportive place for me to go and rant or rave about my college worries and excitements. It was such a relief to realize that so many kids felt exactly the same way that I did and were awaiting decisions just as anxiously.</p>
<p>Ok, now that was all general stuff. Some specifics: The week of college decisions, my high school had chosen me and 3 other students to be interviewed by a NY news station (I think it was some branch of NBC news). It was exciting but wait till you hear what the topic of the interview was: How H.S. Seniors Handle College Rejections. You have no idea how scary it was to think about that topic literally A DAY before going online to check my decisions! Oh, now that I remember, the segment was set to air the very same day I checked decisions. It was so funny: I ended up running around the house; to the living room to check the news and to my computer to view my decisions (thank God I have a lap top now). Haha, so I came off as nerdy (on the segment)… gosh I’m a different guy now (even though people said I looked highly respectable and sounded very knowledgeable on TV… Pshh!.. Surely they were jesting!).</p>
<p>I had already received ‘early write’ letters from Amherst and Williams as well as some sort of sly early move from NYU (and I had heard from all my SUNY [State University of NY] schools too). I’d been accepted everywhere that wasn’t an Ivy. But I didn’t care so much about those decisions. It was the 6 Ivies I’d applied to that mattered most. So, having been accepted everywhere prior to the interview, all I could really talk about was how it felt to be deferred by Harvard (I applied EA). That evening, I had planned to check my decisions in the following order: Cornell, Dartmouth, Columbia, Yale, and Harvard. (Princeton didn’t notify applicants online last year). </p>
<p>My heart was thundering in my chest (and come on, it was only Cornell – ;) haha :D). I opened the page and I saw a big, hearty “CONGRATULATIONS” in red letters. I was psyched. I thought to myself, “YES!! My first Ivy!!! If I don’t get in anywhere else, at least I’ve got Cornell under my belt!” (Thought it might have been wise to consider Amherst and Williams more closely, had I gotten into only Cornell). </p>
<p>Next I checked the Dartmouth decision. It was in letter format (like the actual letter in the mail). In my nervousness, everything was a blur so I had to get real close to the monitor. It was another letter of congratulations! If you thought I was excited about Cornell, you should have seen how I was beaming with joy after finding out I got into Dartmouth! :)</p>
<p>Now I was having trouble accessing the Yale page. It wouldn’t load for the longest time (which as any of you could imagine was heart-wrenching)!! At some point I finally got to it. Unfortunately I was rejected. I plummeted instantly from my Dartmouth high (er.. sounds a bit druggy huh?). Columbia and Harvard’s decisions were both sent via e-mail. You have no idea how freaked out I was to not receive word for hours! I thought I was surely rejected. As it turns out, I was indeed rejected at both. The night ended very sadly. At school the next day, guidance counselors, teachers, and my friends had no idea why those 3 rejections could put me so down in spite of my Dartmouth and Cornell acceptances. They had no idea… the fools! :D Harvard meant so much to me! (Thank God I now know that, as far as undergrad goes, it’s neither the best experience nor the best education out there – but I had no idea back then.)</p>
<p>My Princeton decision came on Monday, I think, in the mail. I came home from school (not even remembering that I had yet to hear from Princeton). I guess I figured if Harvard and Yale had denied me, that my chances at Old Nassau weren’t destined to be good. Hell was I ever wrong! My parents had quietly brought the package in and laid it inconspicuously amongst the other mail packages (including NYU’s regular notification). I was in my living room after school and I noticed the pile of mail. I was flipping through it like anything else and then I saw a big envelope with ‘Princeton’ on it! My heart raced, my palms got sweaty, I literally couldn’t swallow, and [insert other cliche expressions for nervousness and excitement here]. I was spellbound by that envelope! I didn’t think ever in the world that I would be opening a fat envelope from Princeton. I opened it carefully and read the first line of the letter, and re-read it, and re-read it again! Then, without reading the rest of it, I scanned down to the bottom. Dean Rapeleye had personally written “Congratulations!” and signed at the bottom (the thought that she writes that on all the acceptance letters didn’t even cross my mind). It was truly a beautiful and special moment that I wish I could relive! I then read the rest of the letter (several times over, just to come to grips with the awesome reality of it and to savor every last morpheme :D). I jumped up and down and screamed with glee!! </p>
<p>Aside from the letter, there was my financial aid notification (one of the key deciding factors next to April Hosting that led me to ultimately matriculate here) and some other cool Princeton papers including a book showcasing the current seniors’ thesis ideas. I ran to my parents’ room excitedly and told them (as if they didn’t already know – after all, they were the ones who casually brought the golden parcel into our home). Everyone was so excited for me! </p>
<p>The next day at school, I tried to be cool about it. I didn’t want to seem like an arrogant jerk (a sadly untrue reputation we Ivy League guys have). Though, remembering how down I had been the week before, my friends, teachers, and guidance department were all wondering why I was so full of life. I nonchalantly said, “Oh, it’s ‘cause I got into Princeton!” (It is so empowering to say that and to know that it’s true) As stoic as I tried to appear, it didn’t work. Everyone told me it was something I was entitled to be proud of (rather than mask in humility). :)</p>
<p>Now that I remember, this week is forever chronicled on my Xanga. Whether you’re a Xanga user or not (and who the heck is nowadays? ;)), here’s a link to my blog for that week. You can start reading from March 27th through April. Though you might find it interesting to read what I wrote about my interviews a few months earlier and follow the saga of my EA application to Harvard. All of that can be found here: <a href="http://www.xanga.com/Ex_Mea_Sententia?nextdate=3%2f25%2f2006+23%3a59%3a59.999&direction=p%5B/url%5D">http://www.xanga.com/Ex_Mea_Sententia?nextdate=3%2f25%2f2006+23%3a59%3a59.999&direction=p</a> (I recommend that you work your way from the bottom entry of the page [March 27th] upwards [through April]… unless you’re like me and like reading things in the reverse order – but that’ll ruin the fun of it!)</p>
<p>The rest is history! PM me for specific anecdotes about my summer before Princeton and my Princeton experience so far. (I can tell you how I became a demigod on Facebook leading me to become one of the most popular guys in the Princeton Class of ’10!!)</p>
<p>Has Princeton met my expectations? Heck, it has exceeded them beyond my wildest dreams! I’d post more (but this is seriously long enough)… plus, I have a ton of work due on Monday (the day I get back from Spring Break). </p>
<p>Well my friends, I wish you all the best! I’m sure you’re all feeling a similar ‘nervous excitement’ (patented and copyrighted by yours truly). You’re not in this alone! Not only are your peers across the globe sharing in your emotion, but as you can see, it’s quite natural and occurs every year. I can imagine it becomes more nerve racking as the Ivies are becoming more and more selective. It was nice having our egos stroked at the beginning of the year by President Tilghman and Dean Rapeleye, that we were “the GREAT Class of 2010” and that we were much better in many respects (diversity, academic strength, character, talents, etc.) than the preceding classes. Eh… so they do that for all the newbs – it’s still an amazing thing to hear! </p>
<p>You can plunge into this NE (‘nervous excitement’ ‘northeast’? haha, I have to think of a better term to patent) as insanely as you wish; just promise me, your peers, your loved ones, and most importantly yourselves this: that no matter what happens; regardless of the outcomes, you will come out of this sane, level-headed, and appreciative of what you have. Thanks for your time. I hope you were able to relate to my experiences (or soon will be once decisions are up). Again, PM me anytime and feel free to surf my Xanga to figure me out and discover what makes me tick. For those of you who are admitted to Princeton and decide to matriculate (which you absolutely should!!) I’d love to show you the ropes and relate my experiences. If you get in and decide to attend April Hosting (another ‘must’!) let me know if you’d like me to be your host (I can request specific RDers). And if you’d like a tour of the campus at any time, you can go to the officially trained Orange Key Tour guides (my roomie is one of ‘em)… and then you can come to me for the truth! L:DL That’s all folks!</p>