English: Soccer on Harkness Green (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Acceptance rates are tricky percentages. The outcome of a percentage is based off many factors. Diversity. School size. Number of students who apply. So how is a prospective student supposed to decide what school to aim for? Should they focus on rankings instead? I know I did.
If I saw a friend was accepted to a school with a lower acceptance rate than mine, I would console myself with the fact that my school was ranked higher overall. I still was better. I still won.
But hindsight is 20/20, and I am here to speak to those applying or visiting – close the books, the websites and ignore the numbers. Focus on where you want to live, the size you want and what you want to study. See college as a stepping-stone to the rest of your life and not just a name you can brag about. You are the one who is going to attend this school; you better hope to hell you are going to be happy there.
It took me a long time to start ignoring the numbers. Very recently I attended an accepted students day at Connecticut College, I sat through lectures on studying abroad and went to classes focused on my aspiring major. Suddenly I had new ideas every minute. I decided to minor in Chinese after speaking to a student who is now fluent in the language. I decided to double major in Government and English after attending classes for both. I was near steaming with excitement.
So, take a breath. You may think that you want a large urban college far away, and end up at a tiny liberal arts college thirty minutes from home. Either way, it should be where you feel comfortable to pursue your interests. Challenging, but not impossible, and the right level academically so that you have the ability to excel in class as well as many other extracurricular activities.
If I had focused on the rankings in Loomis, I would be attending a school with little focus on academics with huge importance resting on athletics. If I had listened to the pressure at Pomfret, I would have questioned my commitment to Conn and applied to multiple ivies. If I had been accepted to these ivies, I probably would have been back where I was at Loomis; at the bottom of the class and struggling to meet minimal standards.
And so, I stuck with Connecticut College. Ranked 70 overall in the nation, forty-five minutes from my house, only 1800 students – the opposite of anything I ever thought I wanted, and it’s the perfect fit.
Breath. Keep an open mind. And have fun. Whether you see it now, this truly is exciting.
Related articles
- Choosing Which College to Attend (pickacollegenow.wordpress.com)
- About Facing College – Preparation, Selection, Major, and Focus While In College (criticalskillsblog.com)
It's not you harvard, it's me 