What Being Accepted To College Feels Like

This past November I received my admissions notice from Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts. I was thrilled when I had learned that I had been accepted to a school that could possibly be the next step in furthering my education. Albeit, Gordon is not my first choice but it is an option that I am strongly considering. Opening the envelope, scanning through the letters and feeling my heart race at the knowable validity of my own future made the world move faster than any other moment.

Applying to Gordon was completely random on my part. I was scrolling through emails one day in study hall contemplating what it actually meant to become a high school graduate. Gordon came up in the list of various other schools invading my inbox at the time, they were promoting a waived application fee if applied by November 15th. So I sat in my high school's library and filled out the required form on my phone. Sending in my information was simple and after receiving a confirmation email I felt somewhat relieved. I had been estranged recently from researching any colleges because of an absence in knowing what I was truly interested in. Knowing that I wanted to attend some type of liberal arts school did help narrow down my search.

After filling out the form for Gordon I received an email notifying me of what other things needed to be done to complete my application. One of those requirements was a phone interview. This sounded different from the traditional application to other colleges where you just send them your essay, test scores and be done with it. I was actually able to speak with an admissions counselor who gave me a greatly informed overview of the school, its campus, and overall student life. The phone interview was an opportunity to get to know the school better and vice versa.

I lastly sent in my SAT scores and began to wait. It was only two weeks before I received my admissions letter-one of the perks of applying early- and the envelope came in the mail. I was in shock at first because a school had actually selected me and found my qualifications notable to be defined as one of their students. It helped that I had gained the experience of having professional conversations through the New Vision Program offered at my school.

Being accepted gave me the security of knowing that college may not be as scary as I thought it would be. The future is really beginning and my time as a senior in high school is ending, but that's okay. Life moves on with or without you. You either keep up or get left behind. It feels great knowing I have been accepted to a college; it's knowing what to do with that acceptance that will determine the future.