Being a senior at Northport High School has brought a flurry of emotions. Excitement, stress, nervousness, anxiety, and wonder about what the final year of high school will hold. The biggest thing on every senior’s mind lurks in the foreground each quarter, counting the days until the grand choice is revealed.
I’m obviously referring to college, if you couldn’t tell by the foreboding description. College itself isn’t bad, of course; but it’s the decision itself that makes every ‘24 groan. Students spend most of their junior year beginning the long journey toward their home for the next four years, and almost everyone finds where they belong. Students find their dream choice, whether it be a college or university, and they do everything in their power to receive their acceptance. Grades, letters of recommendation, campus visits, the works.
But there’s one thing that some students do differently.
The idea of videotaping the results for your top school has been debated for a while. The number of people who post them every year fluctuates, but each year there are a handful of students who post these reactions. But is this video worth it? Should seniors be recording their reactions for college?
To start, the opinion held by me is easily biased. For those who don’t know, I am a senior who was accepted to Sacred Heart University. I will be studying in an accelerated 6-year program to become a physician’s assistant, with a minor in theater. My college is one of the few that does not have a status portal, and I was unable to check my acceptance online. I had no idea whether or not I was accepted to the school until I received a letter congratulating me and confirming my spot in the freshman class of ‘24 for the Pioneers.
My reaction was recorded. I was in school and had told my parents they could open it had they received the letter and I wasn’t there. While my mother held up my acceptance letter, my father recorded the reaction and we will forever have this happy moment, one that shapes the rest of my life.
I don’t see any harm in recording your acceptance or rejection. Many people understand the big deal that is college and want to have the physical memory of finding out they’ll spend the next few years of their education in the place they wanted. It’s a way to show friends and family the pure joy and shock of realizing your hard work has paid off, and you’ve accomplished everything you wanted to do.
People also use this footage as a way to reveal their acceptance and show the world they did it. Students post the screaming with their family as they get to call themself a freshman for their top college’s class.
However, the bigger question becomes: What if you don’t get in? What if you find out you’ve been waitlisted, or even rejected from your dream school?
The answer itself may be corny, but don’t stress. Obviously, you don’t have to post it anywhere (unless you were live streaming it, but I’d hope nobody is strange enough to do that) and you can even delete the video if it makes you more comfortable. While this may be a devastating blow, there’s a lot going on. It just wasn’t meant to be, but it is not the end of the road.
Everyone will find the next steps of their life, whether it be the first college or the second. It does not make you any less valuable, and everything will work out in the end.
For those of you reading who have yet to apply to college, also don’t stress. You have time to figure out where you want to go, and it is okay if you aren’t sure what you’d like to do.
And until the time comes, ask yourself: Will you record yourself reacting to your college acceptance?
