Growing up, I was always very excited about Halloween on its own. Dressing up, going trick-or-treating, what’s not to love!? But now, Halloween carries another, more special meaning…the anniversary of sending in my Early Decision application to Wellesley!
Saw this on my morning walk…a person made Carol from Where the Wild Things Are for their Halloween decorations!
“SUBMIT”
At 5:54 p.m. CST on October 31st, 2011, I clicked the SUBMIT button on the Common Application, marking one of the greatest, scariest, and most hopeful moments of my life.
You see, a few days beforehand, I had the courage to share with an old friend that I was applying Early Decision to Wellesley. To this, he responded something along the lines of, “Be careful not to get too excited. There’s a high likelihood that they might not accept you.”
Ouch.
Here was someone I deeply respected and cared about relaying some sobering words.
Was I good enough to get accepted to Wellesley? Does not being accepted to Wellesley mean that I’m not a smart, talented, passionate woman?
Back then, I’m not sure what the answer would have been. (Read: The answer would have definitely been a big, resounding ‘yes’ to both, but I don’t want to admit it explicitly, okay?) However, today, I can tell you two things:
1) Apply to Wellesley! IT’S A REALLY GREAT PLACE, Y’ALL.
and
2) Being here has helped me mature intellectually as well as emotionally. Though I still may not be emotionally mature enough to recognize that getting turned down from Wellesley would have #crushedme, I have learned that there are dozens and dozens of ridiculously amazing schools out there, and you may not have heard of many of them yet (just like how I didn’t know that Wellesley was even a thing until a month before the Early Decision deadline…and then decided to apply Early Decision anyways…but that’s a story for another day).
So, this is my way of thanking the person who warned me that I might not get accepted to Wellesley. You made me reflect on my own self-worth in the long run, and now I can see that my value as a human being rests not on the name on top of my degree upon graduation, but instead rests on what I do during my time here and with the knowledge I’ve gained. You have made me constantly mindful of how amazing this place is, and I will forever be grateful for this opportunity as a result.
Fortunately for me, my application worked out. And I know that for many of the EDers, yours will too. To you…well, I can’t wait to get to know you and to see your light shine brightly on campus!
But to those whose futures don’t include 106 Central St., know that your future also rests somewhere bright. Know that a place is what you make of it, and that the sun is always shining above the clouds.
The next month and a half until ED decisions go out will be filled with some of the most difficult and stressful moments of your life. You will doubt your self-worth, your intelligence, and your value…but rest easy knowing that where you go to college is only a fraction of who you are, and that the rest of you is comprised of what you make of things.
Hopefully you will keep that spirit with you throughout this process.
Your first Wellesley sibling,
Estefania (Person who has been through this and totally gets it.)