*Note: The name of the university in this essay has been changed. The writer didn't actually apply to Hogwarts.
Writing
is a very time-specific thing, isn't it? If I wrote this
6 hours ago, it would've probably sounded different. Not that I am ever going
to know because this is another subject that will be discussed on another day.
I avoided that tangent very smoothly. Kudos to me.
I didn't
get accepted to Hogwarts.
It hasn't
gotten to me. With its acceptance rates in the single digits, I wasn't
surprised. I don't know if I'm ready to completely push the school from my mind
though. There's always going to be a Hogwarts t-shirt hanging in my closet that
I'm never going to be able to wear ever again. I haven’t worn it since some
inexplicit time in June. I've steered clear of all college t-shirts in general.
It just seemed too presumptuous and jinxing.
The Dean
of Admissions was very kind in the wording. They weren't able to offer me admission.
It seemed to take the responsibility away from me. And I really appreciate
that, especially given the extra load of responsibility life has decided to
dump on me. The Dean attached an article that he wrote for the Los Angeles
Times. He had three main points. I honestly do believe that the article squashed
any notions of self-pity before they even emerged.
First, I
didn't not get in because I wasn't good enough. I might have been among the
applicants who met the demands of a Hogwarts education. But, it was just a
matter of how many people Hogwarts could actually accept. Hogwarts's graduating
class size is 1700, but they have about 40000 applicants every year. According
to my calculations, that's an acceptance rate of about 4.25%. That doesn't even
round to 10. Second, transitioning from high school to college is a monumental
turning point. Instead of focusing on where that happens, everyone, including
myself, needs to focus on how it happens. If I spend the next four years
lamenting on how I’m not at Hogwarts, I’ve wasted them. And third,
"Education is what the student makes of it." [Insert proper citation
that I simply cannot do at this late hour of 1 AM somewhere in this vicinity].
I may not have been granted admission, but that doesn't mean my chances of ever
joining the Hogwarts family are over. I might just end up there someday doing
who knows what. Or I might never go there. But, regardless of where I end up,
my life will still be fulfilling.
I am
disappointed that I won't be able to go there for my undergraduate years. I've
always been able to see myself flourishing there. But, I'm not bothered by it,
and I'm not going to let me be bothered by it. I'm not going to be broadcasting
this news over social media, but I am definitely going to tell some of my
close(r) friends. One could say that I am much more terrified of upcoming
Christmas gatherings. And please no hugs. Hugs are reserved for extremely happy
moments or bawling-my-eyes-out-in-sadness moments. This moment is neither of
those two.
As you can
probably tell, this post was just my progression of thought at 1 AM, as are all
my other writings that are personal and about me. I seemed to have taken this
first college letter quite well, and I hope my reactions stay this way.
Good night.
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