My Takeaways From the College Admissions Process
I started the grueling process of writing my common application essay in April of 2023 and finished it in early August. I went through hours of editing with my college counselor, revising three drafts of it until I finally picked “the one.” Then began the draining supplementals. I didn’t know why colleges thought they were so unique that they deserved a 650 word “why us?” essay dedicated to them (cough cough Cornell), but nonetheless, I applied to all these narcissistic colleges because in this process, nothing is guaranteed.
Each year, college acceptances rates plummet, but this year, many of them were at the lowest of lows. This is due, in part, to the increase in average number of schools students applied to—from an average of 5.66 to 5.74—and test-optional policies meaning students aren’t required to submit their scores if they don’t want to. This has led to many students applying to schools that they wouldn’t have ever thought to apply to if scores were required. Recently however, colleges like Yale, Dartmouth, and Harvard have announced that they will go back to requiring standardized test scores for all applicants, which leaves me wondering: what will happen to the acceptance rates of those schools for the Class of 2025 and beyond?
As students of LHS, we’ve become accustomed to the competitive nature of the student body, but nothing made me realize just how much pressure and toxicity can be released in a time of heightened stress until this year. Acceptances and rejections from top schools spread through LHS like wildfire; even students who hoped to keep their admissions and commitments to colleges private found themselves wondering how the local therapy dog looked at them with a knowing glance. Now, I’m not innocent of this either: I’ve gotten wrapped up in conversations about who got into which school countless times, especially after this year’s cutthroat “Ivy Day.”
As an underclassman, I remember repeatedly checking the LHS Destinations Instagram account to see all the successful students who got into their dream schools. Until now, I didn’t realize how much pressure this puts onto seniors, who are already going through heartbreak after heartbreak after heartbreak. Every single student, no matter what grade, is immersed into this process since the very beginning; from planning their next four years with a college counselor to applying to internships in the summer to stacking their schedules with extracurriculars, every single student is pushing themselves to their limits to achieve their goals. As a senior who never imagined this day would come and has now (barely) survived this process, I hope to tell all the nervous freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and even seniors that it’ll be okay.
I remember going into this process practically clueless. What schools should I apply to? Where do I stand? How can I maximize the possibilities of getting into these sub-10% acceptance rate schools? After this rollercoaster ride of acceptances, deferrals, waitlists, and rejections, I’ve compiled a list of tips from my own experience for next year's class ( take them with a grain of salt).
Think carefully about where you choose to apply to through the ED1 and ED2 admissions program. A lot of people automatically think to apply to their favorite schools that offer these early admissions options. I agree with this; however, I think some students may not realize the importance of this opportunity to take advantage of higher admissions rates to these schools versus regular decisions admission rates. From my experience, I’ve found that it may not be the best idea to ED1/REA/ED2 to the biggest reach school. ED to a school that you love, that you think is a reach, but a likely waitlist, not a reject. I’ve seen a lot of talented students who give up this opportunity in hopes of getting into a sub-5% acceptance rate school, when they could’ve used it for an equally prestigious school with a higher admissions rate, and gotten in. Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t ED to your dream school. If your dream school is extremely difficult to get into, you shouldn’t ED somewhere else because you’re intimidated by the number that pops up next to it. But if you are choosing to ED to a school solely due to its prestige, I would say to think twice before submitting. Research is key.
People understand the struggles of being a senior. As a senior, you feel like all eyes are on you. You feel the pressure to get into good schools from your friends, underclassmen, family, family friends – somehow even your great uncle in China is keeping track of when decisions of schools come out. If you don’t secure a spot in one of the top colleges, you may feel that people are looking down on you, but this isn’t true. There are so many people who are going through the exact same thing; every senior knows and has experienced the uncertainty of this process, knows how much luck and chance plays into decisions. I’ve never once believed that someone wasn’t as smart or as accomplished as I had thought because of their commitment to a school. If anything, seniors have blamed the college for not seeing what an amazing student they have lost. If you are confident in yourself and your own abilities, that is all that matters. If anyone starts treating you differently because of your school, screw them.
Don’t compare yourself to other people. You never know what other people have done with their time. If someone got into a school, they most likely deserve to go. Don’t waste your time on LinkedIn going down a rabbit hole to find out their GPA, extracurricular activities, essay topics, etc. Once you’ve turned in all your applications, there’s not much you can do about it. Be happy with yourself and your hard work, there’s no need to constantly compare yourself to those top students or feel as though you could have done more. You are enough.
Don’t be discouraged. I know many people who didn’t get into a lot of the schools they applied to and ended up getting into their most competitive school. If you get deferred or waitlisted, write a letter of continued interest (LOCI); never give up. Even if you don’t get into your preferred school this admissions cycle, you can always take a gap year and reapply, or transfer from a different school. All is well.
As much as it seems like it does, college doesn’t define your self worth. Many smart, talented, successful people didn’t get into their top school this year, but that doesn’t take away from who they are as a person. If you keep up with the hard work and passion for what you do, you will be successful in life no matter what.
Finally, I want to talk a little bit about my own experiences. In December and January, I got deferred from almost all my schools in the early admissions rounds (ED1, EA, ED2). Despite that, I never lost hope. I worked extra hard in Q2 to raise my grades, used this opportunity to write LOCI’s to the schools that I cared about, and showed them what I’ve accomplished since submitting my application. I discussed what I could bring to their campus and really helped the admissions officers picture me as a student there. In March, I ended up getting into almost all of my deferred schools in the regular decision round.
At the end of the day, just have fun with the process! You’ve worked so hard to get where you are and no matter what happens, you will end up where you need to be. Don’t go into a school feeling miserable and sorry for yourself because it wasn’t your top choice. Embrace this opportunity to meet new people and be in a new environment. Congratulations to the Class of 2024 and good luck to all the rising seniors!
by VIVIAN LIN