<p>Congratulation! You have gone through a strenuous process spanning weeks and months of hard work on end, involving the stress and the distractions of college life, and having to make many more decisions than you did a year ago.</p>
<p>I wish than when May 15th rolls around, I can congratulate you all on your successful applications, but sadly, the competitive nature of the process does not allow anybody, least of all myself, to be at ease. When May 15th does roll around, some of us will proudly and ecstatically open big envelopes whereas others, sadly the majority, will have to deal with rejections. For some of us, it will not be the first time. Many will receive letters that attempt to rationalize and justify the rejections by telling us how intelligent we are and how the admissions outcome is most certainly not a judgment of our characters. I wanted to elaborate on that a little.</p>
<p>Why such a somber tone, you might ask? Let me continue on. I carry an immense pride in our work. I would be amiss to assume that every last applicant reading this thread has given this process every last bit of their time and abilities, but I know that many of us have. I say - be proud! A high school rejection from a dream university was a wake up call for most of us. We were forced to reconsider our work ethics, our priorities, our dreams. What unites us all here is our refusal to settle - it's what truly sets us apart from many of our fellow students. I know how badly some of you want to transfer - I know this from experience - because of how unhappy you are at your school. I know how many sacrifices you have made in your social and academic life, how many late nights you stayed up, how you hunted for the recommendations and revised the essays. Many of you have given this set of applications all you had, and you should understand that no matter what the outcome, you have nothing to regret. Nobody but you can judge your performance. The admissions committee does not know you, and an acceptance will only confirm what you already know - that you have truly given it your best. I am proud of our hard work and I hope that for many of us, it will be recognizes and rewarded. Still, you may be sadly re-reading this thread on May 15th and I hope that you recognize that your perseverance and passion means a lot more to your success in the world and speaks louder to your character than a decision made by two people drinking beer at one in the morning.</p>
<p>It has long been proven that where one goes to college does not matter. You can argue this as far as business and i-banking goes, but for the most part, there is no arguing that what one does in college matters a LOT more than where one goes to college. In their bestselling book, "Freakonomics," (which I am sure many of you have read), Levitt and Dubner examine the Chicago kids who apply to the specialized high schools and are rejected. They perform at the same level as their supposedly 'smarter' counterparts.The idea is, the fact that you had even given the effort to transfer already sets you apart. If you have dedicated yourself to the process, you are far ahead of the pack. You have shown determination, passion, and grit - qualities that make a lot more difference in life than a degree from Cornell. No matter what the outcome, you are going to be fine.</p>
<p>I wish you all luck and I hope that we are all happy come May 15th. I am proud to have kept in touch with many of you for so long. The camaraderie here has truly made a difference to many of us, myself certainly included.</p>
<p>Best of luck in the rest of your semester, and ... uhh... don't smoke too much weed =)</p>
<p>I hope to see a few of you at Penn next year!</p>
<p>Breathe. You have crossed the finish line.</p>