<p>Since EA/ED college decisions have just released and resulted in many now nervous, to now ecstatic students, it'll be interesting to know how you felt the moment you were accepted/deferred/rejected and what comes after. To all you brilliant pupils who just got into their dream college/were deferred/rejected, how did it feel the moment you opened the e-mail/letter? Describe it as vivaciously as possible and what happened in the ensuing minutes. </p>
<p>My other interest is in what happens after the "opening":
What do you plan to do now that you were accepted/deferred/rejected from your EA/ED school?</p>
<p>It was Monday, and I was quite tired. I had muddled through the day, failing to contain my excitement and trepidation. I arrived home, no word from QuestBridge through email. I checked my QB account, still no update. My mom went to work, and I was home alone. I watched television, surfed the net, and read the chatter on the QB forum here on CC. I know I wasn’t going to get matched; in fact, my plan was to forward by QB application for the RD round. All I had to do was read my “not matched” update from QB and go about my life. It was around 5 pm EST, and I decided to check my QB account again. An update for Dec. 2 was available. Instantly I tensed, my breathing coming labored, my heart pounding in my chest. I clicked the update and scrolled down slightly. The first words I read were, “Dear Christopher, congratulations…” I couldn’t believe it; my mind blanked. The next words I remember reading were, “matched to Princeton University.” I flipped. I jumped about, throwing things in a celebratory manner, shouting without restraint. I read the words again and again and again. I checked my email; QuestBridge and someone from Princeton had sent emails further congratulating me. Then someone from QB called me congratulating me. I was still stunned. </p>
<p>Pretty soon, however, everything returns to normal. Calc homework still has to be done, projects completed, classes attended. I haven’t told many people, so my life has changed little since I found out. I’m trying to redevelop my work ethic and focus, but 60k/year and Princeton make that very difficult to do. So long as I maintain A’s, everything will go over well, but goodness is it difficult, especially with senioritis settling in. Honestly, I want this semester to end so I can start fresh in 2014, at least from an academic perspective.</p>
<p>I was surprised at how I felt when I got deferred from Stanford last night. The way they word their deferral email, it seems a lot like a rejection letter at first. It begins, “We appreciate the thoughtfulness and hard work you put into your application…” At first, I was relieved to not have to worry about Stanford any more, but then I kept reading and realized it was a deferral. I was definitely frustrated, but that has more to do with the entire admissions process than it does with Stanford specifically. I just wanted to be done deciding about college, but I know I have to keep working now. </p>
<p>The closest thing I’ve ever felt to this is having a flight delayed. I had almost the exact same reaction when I read the email - I leaned back, groaned, and asked nobody in particular, “Are you kidding me?”</p>