By Ben Sexton
People may be surprised to learn that only rarely do I hear from former clients about where they will be attending college. For most of my students, the test preparation process ends well before those acceptance letters arrive (which is a good thing!). I often find out later, indirectly, by hearing from a classmate or seeing an old student’s profile pop up on Linkedin. But when students are opening their envelopes, I think they are happy to put test preparation in the permanent past. And I’m happy for them, because most of their stories turn out well, and for a senior in high school, it’s much more fun to look into the future.
Nonetheless, I’m just as aware as anyone that those letters are arriving imminently. And no matter how wonderful you are – and all of you are – you’re probably going to receive a mix of letters, good and bad. I certainly did. I did not get into my first choice school (Haverford). Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t, but I sure didn’t feel that way at the time.
It’s a tremendous skill in life to be able to prepare yourself for all possible outcomes. It’s also much easier to write that in a blog than it is to practice it in reality when a lot is at stake. Here is an interesting article with some advice about the process that was recently published in the Boston Globe.
I’m rooting for all of you, just like I’m rooting for all my students to achieve their dream scores. However, I also know how reality works; some students will end up like me, wondering why they didn’t get in.
But those older ones of us know, what appears to be an obvious accomplishment or defeat, can swing entirely the other way – weeks, months, or even years later. With that in mind, brace yourself for those letters. Good luck!