College Admissions: Is it worth the stress?
By: Ria Arora
Tags: Schools, College Admissions Prep, College, College Admissions, Beyourself

One year ago, I mirrored the current anxious 12th graders as I awaited my college decisions. I had applied to many of America’s most selective and rigorous institutions including UC Berkeley, Stanford, Columbia, UCLA, and more. Throughout high school, I abided by a strict plan of studying (often pulling all-nighters to review for my exams), and religiously attending my volunteer commitments and extracurriculars. I even found my way to a research lab as a mere 16-year-old. Yet, the odd part is that as I took the elevator to the lab, a 15-year-old student researcher would be standing next to me.

College admissions had become a race where students sold their souls to attain acceptance from their dream college. Sabotage would occur in the innocent school hallways, and students frantically compared their “stats” (GPA and SAT/ACT score) to gauge their chances at a prestigious university. Parents, often as or more competitive than their children, enforced this behavior at my high school, and students desperately attempted to appease their desires, thus stacking rigorous AP classes and attending school despite being ill.

Throughout high school, I set standards at the brink of insanity for myself. I forced myself to take the most challenging classes available at my school while maintaining a pristine 4.0 GPA. I signed myself up for a total of 5 SAT exams and without a doubt, had multiple panic attacks including vomiting and shaking in my sleep the night before important exams. As peculiar as it sounds, lots of students in my grade were like me, killing themselves for acceptance. Yet, as metaphorical as it may sound, the acceptance to our dream university was not what we were dedicating ourselves to; it was the acceptance to the world: a simple notion of, “Yes, you are enough”. In a world where everyone seems to be living perfect lives, it often feels like you are the only one falling behind in the race. That illusion drove the fire in many students, and toxic Reddit communities such as “Applying to College” fueled this fire as students’ self esteems dropped when comparing their SAT score to a student across the country in New York.

At the end of my college decision season, I was accepted to every University of California institution (the most prestigious public universities in the country) with a Regents scholarship. Yet, the most prominent aspect of opening my letters was that the “high” of disbelief, pride, and amazement lasted a mere 20 seconds, and then life…just went on. Yes, I did feel incredible at that moment, but did I work myself this hard for a 20 second “high”?

Yes, I would be attending an incredible institution for the next four years, but how much did I give up for this? Countless school events like football games, school dances, and activities were pushed to the side so I could cram in another hour of studying. When I think back to high school, all I visualize is me isolated in my bedroom, mulling over textbooks and papers, occasionally seeing my family as I came down for meals.

This is not a way to live. Yes, college is important. Yes, it can mold your future career. Yes, it can give you a pivotal experience. But no, it is not worth your happiness, and it is not a race of survival. As I graduated high school, I saw my peers who religiously attended every high school event, and thoroughly enjoyed the experiences that high school had to offer, receive acceptance to the same institutions that I had. While it felt like a slap in the face at the moment, it was a sincere wake-up call for me. If you are not happy now, you will not be happy later. You cannot solely place your happiness in an acceptance letter that will give you seconds of joy till you fall back to reality. I am currently a freshman at UCLA, the #1 public university in America. Is it heaven? Definitely not, and I never should have put it to that rank, because honestly, nothing in life is worth that much.

Enjoy yourself at every stage of life. Maintain a balance. Don’t place your happiness in a single decision. You or your child is worth more than that.

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