It was a Friday night in December when I was rejected from my early decision school. My first reaction? Not sadness, as you might assume, but anger. While this anger manifested itself in some good ways – namely, it pushed me to get all of my regular decision applications done – it was mostly destructive. I found myself constantly thinking negative thoughts about myself and the school that had rejected me; I frequently caught myself sneering while writing my other application essays. Having gone through that experience, I now realize there are significantly healthier ways to deal with one of the most challenging aspects of the college application process: the waiting period.Â
After finishing hitting “submit” on my last application, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Now what? As one of “those people” who applied to seventeen schools, finishing my applications took an immediate weight off my shoulders. But att the same time, another other issue began to arise – senioritis. I used to believe that senioritis is a laziness-inducing disease that only strikes students who were prone to procrastination throughout high school. I hate to break it to you, but this is far from the truth. As a student who takes four AP classes, plays three instruments, and is involved in two musical pit orchestras right now, I can tell you that it hits everyone. Teachers tend to assign less homework as the year goes on, so you’re likely to have a lot more free time than you did during your junior year.
But all this free time can lead to the development of some pretty poor habits. Obsessively checking your dream school’s website doesn’t help. The reality is that a school’s website does not change day to day. It’s good to check it in the days and weeks after you apply to confirm that all of your applications materials have been received, but after that, it will not change until the day they post the admissions decision, which, unfortunately, will not be three weeks earlier than promised.
Although the prospect is tempting, shirking all your homework doesn’t do you any favors. I’ll admit, I tend to not put as much time and effort assignments as I used to into. But even though my grades might have slipped a percentage point or two, I know that it’s still important to keep up with homework. It helps you learn – after all, that’s why it’s assigned! In my AP Calculus class, I never would be able to follow what’s going on in the class if I skipped my homework, even if I know my teacher won’t check to see if I’ve done it the next day. These types of assignments aren’t just busy work; they really do teach and enforce the material you’re studying. When you start to ignore assignments like these, your grades can start to slip out of control.
Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide whether you should buckle down and write that English essay due tomorrow or re-watch the entire first season of Grey’s Anatomy. The waiting period will be over soon, so focus on surviving the last few days by getting yourself off the couch and back to school work as usual.