The air is getting brisk, the streets are filled with Christmas lights, and seniors all around Westport are celebrating the holiday season by huddling in front of computers, anxiously reloading their “application status” page. Early admission decisions have completely sucked the fun out of the holiday season.
Christmas has always been my favorite time of year: not because of presents or time off from school, but because of the atmosphere. Going downtown at night to see the sidewalks and the bridge lit up festively, turning on the car radio to hear Christmas carols, watching “Elf” and “Home Alone”… there’s always a special energy in the air during Christmas that has never failed to lift my spirits.
That is, until this year.
Early Decision admission results for most colleges are set to be released in “Mid-December,” right in the middle of my holiday cheer. That means most of my December has been spent celebrating peers who got into college, comforting those who didn’t, and waiting anxiously for my own decision, set to arrive on December 17: a mere eight days before Christmas. Over the past month, I have been so consumed by the college mania sweeping Staples that I barely even noticed Christmas was beginning at all.
That’s not to say that I haven’t tried, either. I enjoyed chopping down a Christmas tree, helped my family decorate the house, and visited the Bryant Park Winter Market in New York. But no matter how many festive activities I partake in, I can’t get rid of the anxiety in the back of my head: what if I don’t get in?
Then comes the questioning from every single adult I meet: “Oh, you’re a senior? Where have you applied to college? Where are you planning on going?” My grandparents have been asking me where I’m going to college since August. While the questioning is good-natured and comes from well-intentioned places, it’s still frustrating; especially when I have to respond “I’m not sure yet,” or “I’m still waiting,” over and over again. I’ve taken to replying with “Sorry, I can’t answer that, I’m superstitious,” even though I’m not.
So, while the holidays are certainly far from ruined, they are a bit extra stressful for your senior this year. Play those holiday songs, decorate the tree, and keep that fact in mind; and, for other seniors, don’t forget that even though your college decisions are not the most important thing in your life, even though it may feel that way.
