It’s been months since I’ve visited CC. Two years ago, I was exactly where a lot of you are standing with boarding schools.
Right now is application season. You’re narrowing down your list, and I guarantee you that you’re applying to one of the “Ivies”. I can also guarantee you that you have your heart set on a single school.
The thing I tell shadow students at my boarding school when they ask me why I chose Saint James, my current school, over some of the better known schools, I’m frank.
The answer?
I didn’t get into any of them.
This is typically the time when the prospective applicant gets quiet, but it’s also where I don’t stop talking. Yes, I didn’t get in to any of the great boarding schools, the mini-Harvard’s and mini-Yale’s. It’s also here where I say I don’t regret applying to them, either.
The thing I drew most from my boarding school experience was something I learned after the rejection emails. I learned that there’s always going to be someone better than me at something. Obviously, I didn’t get in to these schools because someone smarter than me, more involved than me, and better at sports than me (or whatever else you can thing of) applied. And obviously, schools are going to admit the more interesting students to diversify their student body.
I learned this in the best possible way… through rejection. In acceptance to a boarding school, all of your hard work is paid off. In rejection from a boarding school, you learn that in the end, no matter how hard you worked, stuff doesn’t always swing your way.
I guess what I’ve been trying to say this entire article is, that while you’re beginning your applications, and stress becomes a factor, remember that not everything is about getting in.
Not. Everything. Is. About. Getting. In.
The most important life lesson I have learned thus far is that hard work sometimes doesn’t pay off, but that’s not an excuse to not work hard. So, work hard on your applications, show schools what you’re about. Maybe you’ll get in, but in other cases, maybe you won’t.
Last year, I sent an email to my top-choice boarding school interviewer. I thanked him for rejecting me with essentially what I wrote above and I told him how happy I was at my current school. I can’t say he’s gotten many of those emails before, and honestly, I’m proud that I could be one of the few.
In summation, don’t be scared of rejection. You’ll learn more quickly than everyone else, and in the end, have a little bit of an edge.
