The Best Christmas Present
Hello friends!
As the stress and exhaustion of finals week crashed over me, I kept reminding myself that this time last year, all I wanted for Christmas was to be at Vanderbilt. With ED1 decisions just around the corner, I thought I’d share my Early Decision story.
I fell in love with Vanderbilt the summer before my junior year of high school. After many fruitless attempts of searching for colleges, I finally tried looking specifically for strong teacher training programs since I knew I wanted to pursue Secondary Education. Lo and behold, Vanderbilt and its Peabody College of Education and Human Development kept popping up. I explored every nook and cranny of Vanderbilt’s website, even forcing my mom to do the virtual tour of campus with me. After attending a Vanderbilt Road Show in the fall, I was hooked.
Flash forward to the fall of my senior year and college application season. After weeks crafting my Common App and essays, I had to play the waiting game. Little signs kept popping up everywhere I turned: Tennessee license plates and a book character who attended Vanderbilt. I checked my online application portal constantly, even though I knew nothing would change until Sunday, December 15th.
The Friday before I was due to find out my admissions decision, I was a wreck. I burst out crying in lunch at school and was obsessed with the fact that Vanderbilt was in a different time zone, meaning that I would have to wait an entire extra hour longer than planned. Looking back, it was not my finest hour.
That evening, I attended my little sister’s winter choir concert with my family. The second we got home, I immediately headed to my room to try and pass the hours until Sunday. Per usual, I aimlessly checked MyAppVU, except this time the home screen read “Congratulations, Gabrielle!” I sat there in shock, not comprehending what was happening until I read the pdf of my acceptance letter. To my surprise, my decision had come early. I finally ran downstairs screaming to find my family. My acceptance to Vanderbilt was the best Christmas present I could have asked for. Being on campus still feels like a dream sometimes. In the words of Taylor Swift, I think back to December all the time.
To all my lovely ED1 applicants, stop for a second and take a deep breath. Let me promise this: you will be okay. No matter what happens this weekend, I am sure that next year you will be exactly where you are supposed to be.
So much love,
Gabi
P.S. – If you have any questions or need to freak out about Early Decision, please do not hesitate to e-mail me at gabrielle.d.grys@vanderbilt.edu.