Decision Time



Right now, I have the privilege of enduring the same process of psychotic competition and brutal torture that awaits most graduating seniors in America's high schools. As I write this, I am in the process of receiving letter after letter from college's concerning my possible admission for next year. Although I have yet to hear from any of my "big three" (Bucknell University, Wake Forest University, Vanderbilt University) as of tonight, I have gain successful admission to my four safety schools. Despite this relatively good news, I have never felt this level of tension before in my life. It feels like these admissions officers are playing games with my future and as a result it infuriates me to realize that for the moment, I have no control over my future. However, this is only what I feel, which is very different from what I know.

In reality, this is a relatively insignificant point in my life. Although it may seem to be the most important event to occur in 17 years of living, in the grand scheme of things, my future is not being decided here. From this point foreword, no matter where I go to school, I control my destiny. The college experience will be what I make of it. I can choose to slack off on my schoolwork or I can choose to diligently attend classes and hand in assignments. In fact, my life from this point foreword is the opposite of how I feel right now. I, along with all graduating seniors, have a clean slate to work with. When students first step foot on their college campuses, there are no stigmas or stereotypes attached to them. Their academic records from high school are completely meaningless, and their level of "popularity" was left behind in their hometown. It's an opportunity that comes along once in a lifetime. We, as seniors, have been gifted with the knowledge and wisdom that comes with years of successes and failures, and triumphs and mistakes. We are allowed to use this hard earned wisdom and use it to craft a new identity, a new mold for our futures. However, there are many who would be willing to let this moment pass them by, and not recognize the opportunity being given to them.

Even with these thoughts, I still manage to be able to stress myself to the point of near insanity. The reason is that no matter how much I think about the situation in an attempt to rationalize it, my feelings and emotions will inherently get the better of me. Tomorrow I expect to start to hear from these "reach" school, and I feel ready for the decision. Whether I end up at Muhlenberg College or Vanderbilt University does not matter in the long run. My future is what I decide to make of it, and that is a lesson that I hope more high school seniors begin to recognize. Good luck, seniors.