Waiting and Waitlists!

Prep School Admissions Prep School Cafe
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<p>With January 15th in the past and March 10th in the seemingly endless future, I believe we (the applicants) have entered the official period of nail-biting waiting. This is personally my second time enduring the wait, and I assure you: March 10th will come sooner than you think.</p>

<p>I like to tell myself that, anyways.</p>

<p>As much as we like to think of March 10th as supplying a mailbox (or inbox) full of acceptance letters, I think that this waiting period is a good time to prepare ourselves for the possible disappointment. I was unfortunate enough to experience this disappointment last year. Given, I had not exactly set myself for a good chance at success: only applying to one boarding school (the name of which I shall not share) gave me a much smaller chance of receiving an acceptance letter than the students who choose to apply to many. I had--and still do have--my reasons for my decision. However, in hindsight, I wish I would have prepared myself more for the waitlist letter I received. </p>

<p>And yet, I ask myself, how was I supposed to do this? Upon reapplication to the same school this year, I find myself falling into the same pit that I descended into last year: the endless abyss of hope. I hate that I am literally counting the days until March 10th (48, in case you were wondering). </p>

<p>So this year, I'm trying something different. I am going to enjoy these days before March 10th; the days before we actually know what's going to happen to us next year. I'm going to enjoy these days in which I can dream and hope and wish and not have a paper sitting on my kitchen counter that contradicts my aspirations. I'm going to enjoy the feeling I get when I'm sitting in class at my public high school and think about the amazing classroom experiences I might have next year. I'm going to enjoy my daydreams of what I believe is paradise.</p>

<p>I truly hope that every single applicant that reads this gets accepted to the school of their choice. However, if a deference or waitlist letter arrives in your mailbox, please don't take it personally. No one, with the exemption of the admission officers, knows what goes on behind the closed doors of the Admission Office. I know that prep school may seem like the only thing that matters right now, but there are so many other opportunities out there that are equally as amazing.</p>

<p>Does this mean I want to go to this school any less? Does it mean I'm being a pessimist? If so, that is certainly not my intent. As my parents have been constantly reminding me, we must keep "our feet on the ground and our head in the sky." March 10th will come, and after it will be March 11th, and then March 12th. And we will all be either ecstatic or despondent or anxious or disappointed or all of the above and it will be okay.</p>

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<p>“I’m going to enjoy the feeling I get when I’m sitting in class at my public high school and think about the amazing classroom experiences I might have next year. I’m going to enjoy my daydreams of what I believe is paradise.”</p>

<p>As a parent, I will offer an alternate way to pass the time until M10…try to forget you even applied. Instead of dreaming about a future (which may or may not come to pass), invest yourself in the present. Make this year’s classroom experiences amazing.</p>

<p>I think all the dreaming might set you up for an even bigger disappointment come M10 if your email isn’t a happy one or your envelope is a thin one. And even if you should be one of the lucky ones who does get admitted, the reality of the school may not live up to your dreams.</p>

<p>And with that, I will take my leave…</p>

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<p>:( I feel like crap!! I don´t want to get a negative letter from the prep schools I applied to :(</p>

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<p>That’s why we robotically keep repeating to people to cast-a-wide-net if they are serious about starting BS this fall. We’ve seen what March 10 looks like for people who apply only to “reach” schools.</p>

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<p>what do you mean?</p>

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<p>If you apply to a school you are very likely to get in to, even if they’re not your dream school, it will dramatically soften any potential blows on March 10. Even if you decide not to go, just knowing you got in somewhere helps. Unless you take my advice earlier and simply consider bs one of many good possibilities for next year, thinking about the stuff at your home school that would make next year there rock.</p>

<p>By the way, it’s still possible to do this, to schools with rolling admissions.</p>

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<p>I spent the time waiting for decisions here daydreaming. To make matters worse, I was only really interested in two of the schools I had applied to, which leaves quite a high likelihood of extreme dissapointment. I was lucky this time and got in to both (one with a scholarship!) but it could have turned out a lot worse.
Try not to think about it, or even better think of contingency plans. There’ll be plenty of time for daydreaming once (if) you’re accepted.</p>

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<p>UKgirl23 youre so lucky!! I am happy you got into both of them</p>

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<p>Thank you :slight_smile: I hope everyone else can be as lucky, or at least lucky enough to get in somewhere.</p>

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<p>@sandra, see my post #4 on your other thread:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-chances/1449634-institut-auf-dem-rosenberg-reviews.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-chances/1449634-institut-auf-dem-rosenberg-reviews.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>GMTplus7 I appreciate your comment it made me feel a bit sad at first but it also made me a bit more realistic. You had a good point and I am thankful for the point of view you offered me</p>