A Holiday Guide To ED1
I nervously walked to the front office of my high school. As I approached the front door, the first thing to catch my eye was a giant congratulations balloon and bright beads. My mom was standing in the front office, nearly jumping up and down, telling me I had just been admitted to Vanderbilt.
That was almost three years ago and after months of agonizing over recommendation letters, essays, and precise wording on the descriptions of my extracurriculars. It had been a long, long road that ended in utter and complete bliss.
Today, halfway through my Junior year, the anxiety surrounding college applications is but a faint memory, but the overwhelming joy that came with my acceptance to Vanderbilt is still vivid in my mind.
I know, for so many of you anxious Type A types like myself, Thanksgiving seems to be taunting you. You want so desperately to be thankful for your acceptance into Vanderbilt, but the placement of the holiday just keeps you on your toes–waiting.
It’s incredibly difficult to navigate Thanksgiving when you’re so college focused, but I encourage you to take this holiday as a break for the day-to-day worrying and the “Will I? Won’t I?” of the college application process.
You have so much to be thankful for. Be thankful for your family and friends, your support system, that helped you through your application process and will support you and push you regardless of where you choose to go to school. Be thankful for graduating high school! You’re about to go from being a big fish to being a small fish all over again, so take some time to be thankful for how far you’ve come in high school. Be thankful for your hometown, a place you might be saying goodbye to as you leave for college. Be thankful for where you are right now because it is an excellent time to be you. The world lies before you! Everything is a possibility! So no need to stress over where you’ll go to college.
Instead, eat extra stuffing. Go for that second (or third??) slice of pumpkin pie. Live a little. Live a lot. Enjoy everything. It’s great to be you.
Happy Thanksgiving!