You're sitting at your desk alone, staring at your college applications. You have everything done besides one thing: the dreaded essay. Now, you know that nearly every school requires this. There is no avoiding it, yet you still do everything to put it out of your mind. Here are the five stages of grief that you experience... while writing your college essay at least.
1. Denial
You push the essay to the back of your mind. No matter how many times you tell yourself, "Ok! I'm going to sit down and write this essay!" - you don't. You pretend that the essay does not exist and do everything to avoid thinking about it. When your friends ask you what prompt you decided to use or what you are writing about, you act as if you can't hear them and immediately change the topic. This. Essay. Doesn't. Exist. That is until you transition to the next stage...
2. Anger
School has started and you keep getting emails, reminding you to start your essay and how important it is to begin. You can no longer pretend like this task does not exist. In fact, now it is all you think about. The idea of this essay and choosing a single topic that defines you and shows how you truly are, angers you to no end. You are enraged that schools would do this to you. Why now? Why when I have the hardest courseload of my life, do you make me write this essay that is supposed to make me stand out? You're angrier than Trump when Marco Rubio claimed he had small hands. You rant and tweet and post on Facebook about how much you hate the system, and how unfair this is and your fury does not quell until you move on to the next stage...
3. Bargaining
You try to negotiate with yourself, your parents, your friends, and your school. You don't really have to write this essay, right? I mean who really needs college anyway? Bill Gates didn't finish college and look where he got! But then again, he was a genius and dropped out of Harvard, so he still had to get in and to do so, he had to write that essay. You try to find a school that doesn't require this task to be completed, but find nowhere that you're happy with. Your top choice needs this essay... AND A SUPPLEMENT. This discovery takes you to the next stage...
4. Depression
The mere thought of this essay sends you spiraling down a hole of darkness and despair. Long gone are those days of happiness that the eleventh grade and all previous years saw, now that you have to write that essay. You hole yourself up in your room and binge watch Gossip Girl under the covers in the dark while stuffing your face with chocolate. You feel worse than Elle after Warner broke up with her and said she'd never have a chance at Harvard Law. Gone is your motivation to do well and to see your friends, this essay and the thought of having to think of a topic and then write it consume you until you have a sudden realization...
5. Acceptance
Finally you have reached this last stage. At 3am while rummaging through boxes of old things, you decide that enough is enough, you need to sit down and write this essay. It isn't going away and needs to be done. Suddenly, it hits you: your idea . Every negative feeling and doubt is lifted and you are ready to sit down and write this essay. You can't believe the idea hadn't come to you sooner, it seems so obvious now. Warmth and joy and motivation flood your body and you are ready to take on senior year. You finally start your first draft and everything feels right again...
That is until you get lazy on the third paragraph and lose your train of thought, going all the way back to Stage One again, repeating this seemingly never ending cycle until one day, you miraculously finish.
